AT&T and Verizon have had to halt their 5G rollout plans after pilots warned of a potentially “catastrophic situation”.
This has left many people confused about what dangers the new C band 5G service poses and why it’s supposedly safe to rollout in some areas.
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Is 5G dangerous for planes?
When it comes to the 5G impact on airplanes, most of the concerns regard how the tech effects radar altimeters that pilots use when trying to land.
An altimeter is used to measure altitude and can tell a pilot what height they are above the Earth’s surface.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned that 5G masts near airports could interfere with altimeters and other important instruments on planes.
The instruments operate at similar frequencies to the 5G and that’s why pilots fear disruption and being unable to land safely.
Altimeters also help pilots to detect a dangerous type of current called a wind shear.
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This means flying in bad weather would be an issue and could have led to pilots refusing to fly from US airports near the 5G masts.
A pilot could technically land without an altimeter but they would need good visuals.
Is the problem unique to the US?
5G has rolled out in other countries without aviation issues.
However, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) claims this issue is specific to the US because the US networks were planing to use a higher 5G frequency that was more likely to interfere with US altimeters.
The mobile networks and the FAA now need to come to an agreement on how flights and 5G plans can go ahead.
The networks are said to have 500 towers that some experts think are too close to 88 airports across the country.
The tech was due to launch around the US this Wednesday.
The networks have already created buffer zones around 50 at-risk airports of the 88 in question.
The names of the airports without buffer zones have not been revealed.
The airports with buffer zones, which should reduce the impact of 5G on planes, include John F. Kennedy and Los Angeles International airports.
5G in areas not near airports is not thought to be dangerous.
5G rollout sparks mass flight cancelations across US as Delta and international airlines Emirates and Lufthansa scramble
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