As AT&T and Verizon roll out new 5G services this week, the CEOs of major US passenger and cargo airlines have warned of a “catastrophic” aviation disaster.
They said the new C-band 5G service, scheduled to launch on Wednesday, could disable large numbers of planes, wreaking havoc on US flights and potentially stranding tens of thousands of Americans abroad, Reuters reports.
The following are the background to the conflict:
What happened?
In early 2021, the US auctioned off mid-range 5G spectrum in the region of 3.7-3.98 GHz in C-band spectrum to mobile carriers for approximately $80 billion.
What’s the problem with that?
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned that new 5G technology may interfere with sensors such as altimeters, which monitor how high an aircraft is flying above the ground.
The altimeters operate in the 4.2-4.4 GHz band and the auctioned frequencies are believed to be too close to this range. Altimeter readings are used to aid autolanding and to detect damaging currents known as wind shear, in addition to altitude.
Last month, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby stated that the FAA’s 5G regulations will ban the use of radio altimeters at about 40 of the country’s busiest airports. The guidelines, according to US airlines, could cause up to 4% of daily flights to be cancelled.
If the problem isn’t fixed, Kirby believes that in the event of bad weather, cloud cover, or even a significant amount of smog, “essentially only visual approaches could be made” at major US airports.
What does frequency have to do with this?
The faster the service, the higher the frequency in the spectrum. Operators will need to operate at higher frequencies to take full advantage of 5G.
Some of the C-band spectrum that was auctioned was previously used for satellite radio, but with the switch to 5G, there will be a lot more traffic.
What do the telecommunications corporations have to say?
According to Verizon and AT&T, 5G C-band has been rolled out in around 40 other nations without causing disruption to aircraft.
They agreed to set up buffer zones around 50 US airports for six months, similar to those in France, to lessen the danger of interference.
Why isn’t there a problem everywhere?
In 2019, the European Union set specifications for 5G mid-range frequencies in the 3.4-3.8 GHz band, which is lower than the frequency expected to be used in the United States. The bandwidth was auctioned across Europe and is currently being used without problems in several of the bloc’s 27 member states.
On December 17, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which oversees 31 countries, stated that the problem was limited to US airspace. “At this time, there is no risk of dangerous interference in Europe,” he said.
France’s spectrum (3.6-3.8 GHz) is further away from the band (4.2-4.4 GHz) used for altimeters in the US, according to FAA officials, and the level France’s 5G power rating is much lower than that approved in the US.
For many years, Verizon has stated that it will not use spectrum that is closer to the upper band.
The 5.G mobile communication frequency in South Korea is 3.42-3.7 GHz, and no reports of radio wave interference have been reported since the introduction of 5G in April 2019.
There are currently 5G mobile communication wireless stations in operation near airports, but no concerns have been reported.
In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, CTIA, a US wireless trade group, stated: “Wireless carriers in nearly 40 countries in Europe and Asia now use the C-band for 5G, with no reported effects on the radio altimeters operating in the same internationally designated 4.2-4.4 GHz band”.
What can you do about it?
In the short term, AT&T and Verizon have agreed to postpone the activation of some cell towers near major airports to avoid major flight disruptions in the United States.
In the long term, the FAA must clear and allow the vast majority of the US commercial airline fleet to land in poor visibility at many of the airports where 5G C-band will be deployed. This involves approving altimeters for use near 5G base stations.
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Categories: Technology
Source: vtt.edu.vn