Will 5G have disastrous consequences for air traffic?
No, we don’t have crazy 5G theories, airlines are sounding the alarm about 5G and the potentially disastrous consequences for air traffic.
Could the rollout of 5G disrupt the air traffic of an entire country or even the entire world? According to American airlines, yes. In a fire letter (via Reuters), various air transport providers write that 5G could have disastrous consequences for the transport of people and goods.
Are airlines right to sound the alarm here or is it all a bit exaggerated? You do have more crazy theories about 5G. In this case, on the other hand, there does seem to be a real danger with regard to the measuring instruments on board, among others, Boeings.
5G can disrupt air traffic
The crux of the story is the altimeter for the landing system of modern aircraft. Pilots need the measuring instrument in poor visibility to know how far they are from the ground. Very useful if you want to land a plane..
That altimeter operates at a frequency of between 3.7GHz and 3.98GHz. That is very close to the 4.2GHz to 4.4GHz, which is used for the specific C-Band 5G. AT&T and Verizon, among others, want to use this frequency to provide the widest possible range of 5G.
C-Band operates at a relatively long distance. It is slower than other bands within the 5G spectrum. For a vast, relatively sparsely populated country like the US, on the other hand, a long distance is important.
The solution
According to the providers, there is nothing wrong and the 5G C-Band can be rolled out safely, provided some precautions are taken. The 5G frequency in question would simply not be used around airports, which would not disrupt the altimeter and therefore the overall air traffic.
As of Wednesday, January 19, at the time of writing, Verizon and AT&T are still planning to roll out the relevant 5G C-Band. If all is well then there is nothing to worry about. If tens of thousands of travelers are stranded because airlines don’t trust it, you’ll hear about it here!
