Boeing and Airbus have just sent a letter asking US President Joe Biden to postpone the launch of 5G telecommunications services because of concerns about affecting aircraft performance.
“The impact of the 5G system is huge”
According to CNN, Boeing CEO David Calhoun and Airbus CEO Jeffery Knittel, the world's two largest commercial aircraft manufacturers, sent a letter to US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg expressed concern, The launch of 5G telecommunications services expected in early January 2022 may create many negative impacts on the safe operation of aircraft.
Aircraft manufacturing corporations and aviation authorities are concerned that aircraft signals will be affected by 5G waves. Illustration photo: Inside Telecom
Aircraft manufacturing corporations and aviation authorities are concerned that aircraft signals will be affected by 5G waves. Illustration photo: Inside Telecom
In the letter, the two CEOs said that the impact of deploying the 5G system is huge and comes at the right time when the aviation industry is struggling because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Boeing and Airbus executives said they have developed a proposal to limit 5G transmission capacity in areas near airports, calling on the Biden administration to coordinate with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). ) to approve the plan.
Previously, US transportation authorities were also concerned that the project to convert to a 5G system could affect some equipment on aircraft. Some corporations in the aviation industry also share concerns.
specifically, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is concerned that 5G antennas near some airports may affect the display of parameters of some on-board devices - which have the function of notification pilots. calculate the distance of the aircraft from the ground.
In addition, some important systems such as radar altimeters used during the flight may also be affected.
Controversial decision by the FAA
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To ensure safety, the FAA has issued emergency guidance, asking pilots not to use automatic landing systems and some other systems at low altitudes where 5G wireless signals could affect the devices. Measures the distance from the aircraft to the ground.
However, with this regulation, some aircraft may not be able to land at the airport in some specific cases because the pilot may not be able to land due to lack of support equipment.
Currently, it is unclear which airports are affected by the above regulations. In announcing the order, the FAA said specific information about airport names may be released once the agency receives more information from wireless carriers about where 5G infrastructure could be impacted.
CNN estimates that this regulation could affect more than 6,800 US aircraft, impact dozens of aircraft manufacturers and could lead to disruption of some routes.
Many airlines such as United Airlines have responded to the FAA's decision. In it, United Airlines CEO - Scott Kirby said: "If we return to decade-old aircraft processes and technology, canceling thousands of flights every day... it will be a failure." pathetic government".
Up to now, there is just over a week left until 5G networks activate the service (expected on January 5). According to the service map released by the FCC, several large areas such as California, Florida, New England, Texas and the Midwest will all be covered with 5G networks.
What do experts say?
Technology experts say that in theory, 5G antennas can cause interference in the area around the airport.
However, in reality this risk has been present in all wireless communication systems, not just 5G, but regulators around the world have been doing a good job of this.
"It should be emphasized that there are about 40 countries around the world that have recognized the use of 5G in the C-band frequency range," said Harold Feld, a telecommunications expert at the consumer organization Public Knowledge. on personal blog.
“Specifically, Japan is operating 5G systems with frequency bands even closer to those of aircraft altimeters, but to date, there has not been any reports of 5G systems affecting the equipment on the plane,” Mr. Feld pointed out.
Regarding the aviation industry, countries such as Japan and South Korea are operating 5G at the same level as the US. Canada has temporary regulations requiring antennas to be tilted downward.
In particular, according to his experience, Mr. Feld said, FCC engineers definitely understand the principles, if they do it wrong, it can lead to loss of human life, so they will definitely not risk putting 5G into use. when not guaranteed.
Last week, aviation and telecommunications groups including the CTIA Wireless Trade Group, the trade association Airlines for America (A4A) and the Aerospace Industries Association met and issued a joint announcement to Knowing that, the parties will share data, contributing to solving safety concerns about 5G wireless services implemented by multinational
