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Why Has 5G Roll-Out In US Disrupted Flights Across The World? All You Need To Know
Writer: Tashafi Nazir
For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.
Others/World, 20 Jan 2022 11:27 AM GMT
Editor : Shiva Chaudhary |
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
Creatives : Tashafi Nazir
For most people, journalism sounds hectic and chaotic. For her, it's a passion she has been chasing for years. With an extensive media background, Tashafi believes in putting efforts on presenting a simple incident in the most interesting way.
Airlines including British Airways, Emirates, and Air India cancelled or changed US-bound flights after AT&T and Verizon's rollout of high-speed wireless service. A total of 320 flights were cancelled by January 19 evening or a little over 2 per cent of the US total.
Tata-owned Air India decided to cancel eight flights to and from the US on the second consecutive day on Thursday, January 20, over concerns that the rollout of 5G wireless services in the US could intervene with critical aircraft functions.
The airlines announced that it would cancel flights to Chicago, New York, Newark and San Francisco "due to deployment of the 5G communications" equipment and would try to use other aircraft on US routes.
On Wednesday, airlines including British Airways, Emirates, and Air India cancelled or changed US-bound flights after AT&T and Verizon's rollout of high-speed wireless service. A total of 320 flights were cancelled by January 19 evening or a little over 2 per cent of the US total.
International carriers that depend heavily on the wide-body Boeing 777, and other Boeing aircraft, cancelled early flights or switched to different planes after the Federal Aviation Administration and the Chicago-based planemaker issued warnings.
5G Signals Interfere Aircraft's Radio Altimeter
On January 14, US aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had said that "5G signals could interfere with the aircraft's radio altimeter and prevent engine and braking systems from transitioning to landing mode. It could prevent an aircraft from stopping on the runway," Mint reported.
An altimeter measures the aircraft's height above the ground to help pilots land in low visibility. The band on which altimeter works is close to that on which the 5G system works.
Mobile networks have been deployed in over three dozen countries, but there are critical differences in how the US networks are designed that raised concerns of potential problems for airlines.
5G Rollout A Challenge For Airlines
The FAA says there are many reasons why the 5G rollout has been a challenge for airlines in the US than in other countries. In the US, cellular towers use a more powerful signal strength than those elsewhere. The 5G network works on a similar frequency that many altimeters use, and cell tower antennae point up at a higher angle.
The Federal Communications Commission, which set a buffer between the frequencies used by 5G and altimeters, said the wireless service posed no risk to aviation.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said it was not aware of any problems on the continent caused by 5G interference. To mitigate airline interference, French telecom providers reduce the strength of their high-speed networks near airports.
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