the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Newark NJ, Warnings of a “catastrophic disruption” to the air travel industry have subsided, for now as AT&T and Verizon rolled out their 5G coverage countrywide Wednesday . The 5G coverage however won’t happen near some airports.
It seems 5G interferes with radar altimeters? It has to do with the frequency band in which both operate. 5G cell towers operate between 3.7-3.9 GHz. Radar altimeters operate at a frequency of 4.2-4.4 GHz.
An altimeter or an altitude meter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The closeness to the altimeters frequency band could lead to interference , especially if a cell tower is near an airport . Altimeters play an especially crucial role when there’s low visibility and the plane is attempting to land .
It is not hard to understand how a bad reading by an altimeter could create issues during a landing. That safety concern is why the airline industry sent a letter to the FAA, FCC, and U.S. Department of Transportation Monday, pleading for the agencies to make sure 5G is not rolled out near airports. Tuesday, Verizon and AT&T appeased that request.
Federal Aviation Administration officials have already directed operators of some Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes to adopt extra procedures when landing on wet or snowy runways near impending 5G service because the interference from the wireless networks could mean that the planes need more room to land. The Federal Aviation Administration said that interference could delay systems like thrust reversers on Boeing 787s from kicking in, leaving only the brakes to slow the plane.
Some international airlines canceled flights heading to the U.S. or changed the planes they’re using Wednesday, the latest complication in a dispute over concerns that new 5G mobile phone service could interfere with aircraft technology.
This is a Power Play.
Just trying to figure out what the angle is…