Is 5G safe? Telecommunications company AT&T and wireless network operator Verizon to limit 5G power over aircraft safety concerns

Is 5G safe? Telecommunications company AT&T and wireless network operator Verizon to limit 5G power over aircraft safety concernsDo 5G signals really interfere and disturb the safety equipment on aircraft? It’s quite disturbing that recently, there’s been growing tension between the aviation industry and wireless network carriers. The two parties have been at loggerheads over the use of a set of airwaves known as the C-band. 

In November, telecommunications company AT&T and wireless network operator Verizon announced they will limit the power output of their 5G cell towers for a period of 6 months. This is to avoid potential conflict with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as it investigates the impacts of the C-band spectrum on aircraft safety systems. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, the wireless companies made the offer through a letter they sent to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The issue started at the end of October, when the FAA warned that 5G signals in the mid-band spectrum could significantly interfere with the safety systems of airplanes. The agency also claimed this interference could likely result in delayed flights and malfunction of aircraft features, including crash prevention and weather detection. 

According to AT&T and Verizon’s letter to the FCC, 

“While we remain confident that 5G poses no risk to air safety, we are also sensitive to the Federal Aviation Administration’s desire for additional analysis of this issue.” 

Should the FAA accept the proposal, the companies’ 5G power limit will extend for 6 months until July 6, 2022. After that period, both carriers said they will roll out their mid-band 5G without any limits. Both AT&T and Verizon told the FCC they don’t expect the move to impact their services. 

Both wireless network firms spent hefty amounts of money to secure their licenses for the roll out of the mid-band 5G connectivity. To be particular, AT&T and Verizon jointly spent USD 68.8 million for the licenses. Aside from that, the infrastructure for faster and more stable 5G cost both companies a whopping USD 15 billion! 

That’s indeed a big amount of money to spend on 5G connectivity and only to be limited due to aircraft safety concerns! 

Divided Opinions on the 5G Power Issue 

The conflict between the mid-band 5G power and aircraft safety has caught the attention of the members of the US Congress and Senate… and they all have different opinions regarding this subject matter. 

During the third week of November, US representatives Peter DeFazio, chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rick Larsen, chair of the Aviation Subcommittee, sent a letter to the FCC, accusing the agency of a “deploy now, fix later” strategy that “rolls the dice with safety.” DeFazio and Larsen have asked the FCC to provide more data to the FAA and prohibit any 5G broadband transmissions on the C-band spectrum until the FAA has concluded a risk assessment. 

On the other hand, former FCC chair Tom Wheeler is confident that a solution is close at hand. He said in a blog post for the Brookings Institution that the Biden administration’s involvement in the issue, in conjunction with the FCC Engineering Office’s efforts to examine technical issues, should be enough to close this concern. Wheeler also stated that the FCC has a history of effectively dealing with interference concerns of older applications when new spectrums are allocated for commercial use. 

Additionally, in a report by the RTCA, Inc., a Washington-based non-profit that studies aviation issues, the potential for interference created a safety hazard. However, without detailed information on power levels and how cell tower antennas should be positioned, industry analyses are forced to make worst-case assumptions. 

According to RTCa’s report, radar altimeters are important for jetliners making landings in low visibility. These radars also provide data to assist pilots during touchdown in clear weather conditions. 

What else? 

The altimeters help power systems that warn pilots when they approach mountains concealed in darkness, clouds, or other objects that might cause mid-air collisions. Aircrafts such as the Boeing Co. 737 use these radars to automatically set jet-engine power levels. 

The RTCA also states that the issue of interference should lie more heavily for helicopters as these aircraft operate at low altitudes near cell towers most of the time. The FAA requires the use of radar altimeters on commercial helicopters and those carrying patients on emergency medical flights. Pilots using night-vision goggles must also have a working radar altimeter with them. 

The letter from AT&T and Verizon aims to satisfy requests from aviation groups to allow for more detailed and precise risk analysis. Radar altimeter manufacturers should also determine quickly whether or not most devices are susceptible to such risk. This is because some older models might be more vulnerable and more difficult to assess. 

This dispute between the FAA and FCC represents a hitch in mobile providers’ pursuit of 5G airwaves to serve billions of connected homes, factories, and gadgets with the most recent generation of technologies. 

In the case of AT&T and Verizon, it’s also important to note that both are in a race to catch up to T-Mobile US, Inc., which is about a year ahead on 5G network deployment using other airwaves that are not suspected of causing interference. 

Indeed, this issue calls for a more in-depth analysis of the claims of the FCC, FAA, AT&T, and Verizon. We hope that at the end of all these, the concluding assessment will work for the benefit of all parties involved.