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5G and airplanes: Why the FAA is also concerned with mobile phones

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Your 5G phone will soon start working like the amazing 5G phone you have ever heard on TV commercials. On January 19, Verizon and AT&T be prepared for lighting new frequencies that have connected tens of millions of phones to the US. When these airwaves open, you should download music to your phone in just a few seconds.

This is due to increased C-band frequencies, which not only increase speed but also increase 5G coverage. This is a welcome news for anyone who owns or wants to purchase one of these devices, which will be more than 10 times faster than those who have led 4G once 5G is fully operational. But the change depends on a well-known but unprecedented mobile technology expert: Federal Aviation Administration.

What does 5G have to do with airplanes? Not many, of course, wireless carriers expect to use technology. But the FAA says it worries the C-band could be disruptive radio altimeters, aircraft protection systems that rely on nearby currents. The organization is so concerned that it has been fighting 5G transmission delay and has developed a guide that can lead to it stopping the plane from an airport operating near 5G antennas, meaning that anyone flying or possessing one of these devices could be affected.

It is not known if 5G is a problem with these altimeters. Other than that, 5G alone is not really new. 5G smartphones have become available market since 2019, and last year, about 90 million of these weapons shipped to the United States only. Wireless carriers have promised that 5G technology will not be available high speed and low latency, which makes it work as browsing videos and videos possible without any delay.

But to make 5G a real, wireless industry spent $ 81 billion purchasing rights to use other parts of the radio – in particular, C-band frequencies in between 3.7 and 3.98 GHz. Wireless servers use multiple frequencies to send data between mobile phones and messaging sites, such as cell phones, which connect the device to the Internet. Each group of frequencies comes with its own advantages and disadvantages.

The C-band is considered a sweet place on the spectrum and is an important part of the industry for 5G wireless wiring. 5G phones can already connect to the so-called millimeter wave spectrum, which works at very high speeds. The millimeter wave frequency band it helps to run faster and can carry more but less stretching. 5G phones can also connect to very low bandwidth, which works at very high speeds. Lower frequencies can cover large areas but they can support a bit of data, which in turn makes them smaller. The C-band is actually the intermediate distance between the low-band and the millimeter wave, so it covers a good area with very high speeds. When turned on, these frequencies should be sufficient at the end see the real difference between 5G and 4G inside your daily life.

Pilots are very nervous about the C-band’s changes because of the potential impact radio altimeters of other aircraft. This device sends radio waves from the plane to the ground to be able to measure the height of the plane. Altimeters are very useful for a sports day or in mountainous region, while pilots cannot see where they are landing. The problem is that the altimeters depend on the other parts adjacent to the airwaves used by the C-band. In extreme cases, the FAA thinks that signatures sent to the C-band may distort altimeters – especially old altimeters – create a problem that can be safe. In the meantime, the Federal Communications Commission has already confirmed that 5G will not be available the problem of modern altimeters, and compatible 5G technology has already been shipped to Europe without any problems.

To give the plane more time to deal with this problem, Verizon and AT&T late their double C-band release. The changes were scheduled for December 5, but carriers agreed to return the deadline within one month and then for two weeks, until January 19, after Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. he entered. But with the FAA he announced in December that airports that rely on radio altimeters may need to be reconfigured if there is a risk of 5G disruption. That warning, in fact, upset Verizon and AT&T against all airlines. It is a ban on vulnerable airlines, airlines, as well pilots and pilots‘The agencies, which have acted against 5G, say their companies will not be able to deal with the current crisis.

“The aviation industry has reached its peak due to the ongoing epidemic,” said Sara Nelson, president of the airline. recent words. “Adding stress and making things worse only makes things worse.”

There is a peace system, though it is difficult. Wireless aircraft carriers agreed at the end of last year to test the efficiency of radio altimeters real world events, and the FAA hopes to raise the bar air traffic control, one by one, as airplanes ensure that the altimeters can operate when the C-band is turned on. Wireless operators have also promised not to send a C-band on 50 ma airport selected by the FAA for six months, so you can’t blame 5G for any delays or bans on the airport. If you have a 5G phone and you live one mile away one of these airports, however, you may be deeply disappointed.

But the stand raises questions about why US authorities are not well prepared for this moment. Other than that, 5G is not a new generation of wireless technology The FAA met with it. It is also possible that history repeats itself, and the FAA allows wireless and aircraft carriers to do the job of reassuring the organization that the C-band is safe, rather than just taking it upon themselves. The FAA has lifted its ban on the use of mobile phones and laptops in 2013, which came after years of campaigning. consumer technology companies and frustrated riders who claimed that the devices were unlikely to cause any problems.

Wireless carriers expect to be fully informed and able to re-launch C-band, which is expected to bring 5G spreads to their customers. But we need not try too hard to erase all signs of aging. History has shown that the FAA is not interested in mobile technology, and there is no reason to think that the agency will not suspend and disrupt matters.

The article was first published in the newspaper Recode. Sign in here so don’t miss the next one!

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