The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the government agency responsible for regulating and controlling civil aviation in the United States, has expressed significant concerns about plans to use a certain frequency range for the networks. 5G vis-à-vis aviation safety.

According to Reuters, the agency plans to issue an official warning on the matter soon.

FAA Deputy Administrator Bradley Mims said in a letter that the agency wished to share "deep concerns about the potential impact on flight safety due to disruptions in the performance of the radar altimeter of operations. 5G network in the C band ”.

A risk of interference on the C band

To be able to offer a superior experience than 4G, 5G needs large and dedicated channels.

This is where the "C band" comes in.

Between 3.7 and 3.98 GHz, it was previously used by satellite television from the 1970s, but it ended up being abandoned by television in favor of more flexible systems.

For their part, aeronautical equipment operates over a range between 4.2 and 4.4 GHz.

There is therefore a possible risk of interference.

Tools used by airplanes in bad weather to avoid mid-air collisions and prevent accidents could be affected.

This warning does not change anything for travelers, who are still required to cut off their phone transmissions once on board the device.

It is the transmission towers that are singled out by the FAA.

Caution versus competitiveness

Airlines could be forced to cancel, delay or divert flights in the 46 metropolitan areas where these 5G towers are located.

FCC officials and the telecommunications industry disagree with the FAA, and say the evidence does not show 5G signals could interfere with aircraft equipment.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the agency that regulates telecommunications and radio, television, and Internet broadcasts in the United States, said on Friday it was committed to ensuring aviation safety, while moving from the forward with the deployment of new technologies that meet the needs of businesses and consumers in the United States.

"Thousands of civilian planes" affected?

Wireless business group CTIA said on Friday that 5G networks can safely use C-band spectrum "without disrupting aircraft equipment," citing numerous active 5G networks using this frequency band in 40 countries.

"Any delay in the activation of this spectrum jeopardizes American competitiveness," said the group.

To avoid interference issues, a long-term solution is to upgrade some altimeters with "out-of-band filters", but according to aviation industry experts this will likely take years and "thousands of aircraft. civilians will likely be affected ”.

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