Jan 28, 2022 08:48 PM
(This post was last modified: Jan 28, 2022 09:28 PM by C C.)
https://www.scientificamerican.com/artic...g-problem/
EXCERPTS: As 5G networks rolled out across the country last week, not everyone was focused on the prospect of faster mobile Internet communication speeds. Airlines warned that the new telecommunications standard could interfere with their instruments; this led to flight cancellations and delays.
[...] “Their concern is a valid concern that has been raised and handled, actually, in the European Union,” says Theresa Payton, CEO of the cybersecurity consulting company Fortalice Solutions and former White House chief information officer. ... [An edited transcript of the interview follows.]
Why did airlines have a problem with the rollout of 5G?
The concern relates to older instrumentation—in many cases, we’re talking about the altimeters. [...] And some of the older altimeters have a communications conflict with some of the bandwidth—not all of it—of 5G.
How did European countries deal with this?
Europe is ahead of us on its 5G rollout. What we’ve seen in Europe is that airlines and 5G companies have worked through protocols where, around airports, they have something called a buffer zone where the cell towers operate at a lower power...
[...] How long have experts in the U.S. been aware of this issue?
[...] in December 2021 ... they sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg stating that they had questions and they were seeking answers...
[...] As somebody who’s flown the world, the U.S. air traffic map and aviation logistics are [the most] complex in the world. The U.S. also has one of the best safety records in the world. And you don’t come by that by accident. So it could be that the long game was being played here, and everybody is being overly cautious ... So, yes, other countries are ahead of us on 5G. ... But they don’t fly with the same complexity and intensity that we do, and they don’t all necessarily have the same safety and security record that we do.
What are 5G providers and airlines doing to fix this problem in the U.S.? I know the 5G rollout was delayed near about 50 airports.
The 5G standard has a lot of bandwidth to it—which is why it allows us to have many more devices connected to it than 3G and 4G and why it allows a lot more speeds and why, for example, your phone will be able to do a lot more on a 5G network. [...] What I have heard is that [Charlotte Douglas International Airport and other major airports] announced that they would have a buffer zone. It’s not ideal because you’re throttling 5G around the airport. But it gives everybody time to think through ... more permanent fixes...
What needs to be done?
[...] First of all, let’s get all the decision-makers together. And let’s not limit ourselves to commercial aviation. We should be asking military aviation, “Do you have concerns?”
[...] The good news is that we do have partners globally who can share with us their lessons learned. And we can pull this forward. Even though we’re more complex and very concerned about our safety record, we can still pull all those learnings forward and come up with a great outcome here. But it is going to take making this a priority... (MORE - missing details)
- - - - - -
Here's why Canadian airlines aren't as concerned about 5G
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/here-s-why...-1.5745217
EXCERPT: . . . Canadian companies have offered 5G to customers since early 2020 and airline disruption has not been a major concern. But why?
The answer is two-fold: Canada doesn’t offer 5G networks at the frequency the U.S. is set to launch, and Canada has already taken several measures to help keep airlines safe.
While the U.S. is about to launch 5G in the 4.2 to 4.4 GHz range, Canada’s latest spectrum auction was only for frequencies of up to 3.7 GHz, which doesn’t come as close to the range that would interfere with airplane technology.
Some 40 countries have already launched 5G, but the U.S. is among the few to launch in the higher range. The European Union set standards for up to 3.8 GHz in 2019, for example.
Additionally, Canada has already addressed concerns regarding 5G’s impact on aircraft.
In Nov. 2021, the ISED restricted 5G services by creating “exclusion zones” in the areas surrounding Canadian airports and required that 5G antennas be tilted downward to avoid interference with aircraft... (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: As 5G networks rolled out across the country last week, not everyone was focused on the prospect of faster mobile Internet communication speeds. Airlines warned that the new telecommunications standard could interfere with their instruments; this led to flight cancellations and delays.
[...] “Their concern is a valid concern that has been raised and handled, actually, in the European Union,” says Theresa Payton, CEO of the cybersecurity consulting company Fortalice Solutions and former White House chief information officer. ... [An edited transcript of the interview follows.]
Why did airlines have a problem with the rollout of 5G?
The concern relates to older instrumentation—in many cases, we’re talking about the altimeters. [...] And some of the older altimeters have a communications conflict with some of the bandwidth—not all of it—of 5G.
How did European countries deal with this?
Europe is ahead of us on its 5G rollout. What we’ve seen in Europe is that airlines and 5G companies have worked through protocols where, around airports, they have something called a buffer zone where the cell towers operate at a lower power...
[...] How long have experts in the U.S. been aware of this issue?
[...] in December 2021 ... they sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg stating that they had questions and they were seeking answers...
[...] As somebody who’s flown the world, the U.S. air traffic map and aviation logistics are [the most] complex in the world. The U.S. also has one of the best safety records in the world. And you don’t come by that by accident. So it could be that the long game was being played here, and everybody is being overly cautious ... So, yes, other countries are ahead of us on 5G. ... But they don’t fly with the same complexity and intensity that we do, and they don’t all necessarily have the same safety and security record that we do.
What are 5G providers and airlines doing to fix this problem in the U.S.? I know the 5G rollout was delayed near about 50 airports.
The 5G standard has a lot of bandwidth to it—which is why it allows us to have many more devices connected to it than 3G and 4G and why it allows a lot more speeds and why, for example, your phone will be able to do a lot more on a 5G network. [...] What I have heard is that [Charlotte Douglas International Airport and other major airports] announced that they would have a buffer zone. It’s not ideal because you’re throttling 5G around the airport. But it gives everybody time to think through ... more permanent fixes...
What needs to be done?
[...] First of all, let’s get all the decision-makers together. And let’s not limit ourselves to commercial aviation. We should be asking military aviation, “Do you have concerns?”
[...] The good news is that we do have partners globally who can share with us their lessons learned. And we can pull this forward. Even though we’re more complex and very concerned about our safety record, we can still pull all those learnings forward and come up with a great outcome here. But it is going to take making this a priority... (MORE - missing details)
- - - - - -
Here's why Canadian airlines aren't as concerned about 5G
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/here-s-why...-1.5745217
EXCERPT: . . . Canadian companies have offered 5G to customers since early 2020 and airline disruption has not been a major concern. But why?
The answer is two-fold: Canada doesn’t offer 5G networks at the frequency the U.S. is set to launch, and Canada has already taken several measures to help keep airlines safe.
While the U.S. is about to launch 5G in the 4.2 to 4.4 GHz range, Canada’s latest spectrum auction was only for frequencies of up to 3.7 GHz, which doesn’t come as close to the range that would interfere with airplane technology.
Some 40 countries have already launched 5G, but the U.S. is among the few to launch in the higher range. The European Union set standards for up to 3.8 GHz in 2019, for example.
Additionally, Canada has already addressed concerns regarding 5G’s impact on aircraft.
In Nov. 2021, the ISED restricted 5G services by creating “exclusion zones” in the areas surrounding Canadian airports and required that 5G antennas be tilted downward to avoid interference with aircraft... (MORE - missing details)