CNN
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The promise of 5G, the next generation of wireless technology, has long excited people: faster internet, better connectivity, and easier access.
The potential dangers of the U.S. deployment are becoming clearer and are understandably frightening, including the possibility that certain instruments on the plane may malfunction.
Due to this concern, major international airlines such as Emirates, Air India, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa and British Airways have announced changes to some flights.
Note: Much of the content below is taken directly from CNN reporting by Gregory Wallace, Pete Muntian, and Michael Balaban. Read the latest report on 5G deployment.
The situation is frustrating for the airline industry, although only certain flights to certain airports are affected by cancellations. And his warnings about the potential for disaster for airlines if their new 5G networks interfere with certain planes’ altimeters are enough to make anyone stop, sit back and say, “Wait a minute.” should be sufficient.
The development was certainly a mess. Asked about government power by CNN’s Jeff Zeleny, President Joe Biden said at a press conference Wednesday that the dispute is between private entities, airlines and telecommunications companies, both of which are regulated by the government. He claimed that there was.
“What I’ve been doing is getting the 5G guys (mobile phone companies) to be patient and comply with the airlines’ requirements until the airlines have a year to modernize so 5G doesn’t interfere. “There is a possibility of landing,” he said.
Airline industry critics are unlikely to buy that argument. Emirates President Tim Clark told CNN’s Richard Quest on Wednesday that the entire incident was one of the “most delinquent and totally irresponsible” situations.
Clark said his airline was not aware of any issues with the 5G rollout until Tuesday morning. “That’s enough to compromise the safety of our aircraft and nearly every other 777 operator that flies to and from the United States.” ”
U.S. cell phone companies are using C-band, a set of radio frequencies meant to “supercharge the internet as we know it,” as CNN’s Samantha Murphy Kelly puts it. , paid the government $81 billion in 2021.
She writes: “Think of it this way: If 3G is a two-lane highway and 4G is six lanes, 5G will be 12 lanes. Self-driving cars will be able to instantly process all the information needed to make life-or-death decisions, empowering the medical industry and powering the next generation of telemedicine and robotic surgery. .”
What is the problem with 5G and airplanes?
According to a CNN report by Wallace, Muntean, and Balaban, “The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that 5G cell phone antennas near some airports (not air travelers’ mobile devices) may be used to alert pilots of distance. They were concerned that it could upset the measurements of some of the aircraft equipment that were designed “from the ground.” These systems, known as radar altimeters, are used during flight and are considered critical equipment. (Radar altimeters differ from standard altimeters, which rely on barometric measurements and do not use radio signals to measure altitude.)
Let Mr Clark from Emirates Airlines explain this in some rather unbelievable and frustrating terms.
“We were aware of the issues with 5G. Okay.
“I know everyone is trying to push 5G forward. At the end of the day, it’s a really cool future of communication and information flow, whatever it is.
“I had no idea that antennas in the United States have twice the power output compared to other parts of the world.
“We believe that the antenna itself is installed in a vertical position rather than in a slightly tilted position, thereby endangering not only the radio altimeter system, but also the flight control system of the fly-by-wire aircraft. I didn’t notice it.
“Therefore, we made the decision late last night to suspend all services until we have clarity.”
The FAA issued an emergency warning in December as carriers put the final touches on C-band technology. Specifically, the FAA instructs pilots not to use altimeters that can be affected in certain low-visibility conditions, jeopardizing a pilot’s ability to land in some situations at certain airports. there is a possibility.
5G has already been activated to some extent. But carriers including CNN’s parent company AT&T and Verizon were planning to activate new, better versions using C-band technology on Wednesday. Telecommunications companies are delaying turning on certain towers near major airports.
In Europe, including the UK, the switch to 5G is progressing smoothly. According to CNN’s Charles Riley and Joseph Ataman, the reason is technical.
From their report: C-band uses a spectrum of radio waves with frequencies between 3.7 and 3.98 GHz.
In Europe, companies providing 5G services It uses spectrum in the slow 3.4-3.8 GHz range.
The aviation industry is concerned that US 5G services in the C-band are too close to the spectrum used by radar altimeters (4.2-4.4GHz). His 5G in Europe has a bigger buffer.
Some countries limit the power sent to 5G antennas near airports and require antennas to be tilted away from the flight path.
In a statement, Biden thanked Verizon and AT&T for delaying the rollout of 5G at some airports as airlines warned of dire consequences for traffic and the economy.
Federal authorities and wireless providers will continue to negotiate.
Asked Tuesday how long the FAA took to plan implementation and whether the agency “dropped the ball,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “If we look back and see how we got here… There will be plenty of time to confirm whether this has been achieved.” ”
