News
U.S. and Australia probe impact of 5G on aircraft
November 1st 2021
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is reportedly preparing a special bulletin warning on the impact on aircraft systems of 5G broadcasts as investigations continue into the technology’s effect on radio altimeters. Read More » Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has asked pilots and operators to report any incidents involving radio altimeters but has yet to record a problem. The Wall Street Journal wrote over the weekend that the FAA was drafting a special bulletin on the potential interference on aircraft systems of the U.S. rollout of 5G. The newspaper cited former government and aviation officials who had been briefed on the matter and who warned an inability to use some cockpit systems could result in delays or diversions at 46 major U.S. airports. The U.S. aviation industry has been at loggerheads with telecommunication regulators and companies for some time about the impact of the 5G rollout. U.S. aviation industry representatives have expressed concern about the impact of 5G on radio altimeters because the systems operate in a bandwidth adjacent to the one used in the U.S. by the telecommunications technology. The industry has warned of potential problems such as missed approaches, delays, diversions and flight cancellations. However, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission maintains there is no evidence to support the conclusion that 5G is a threat. CASA warned many approved radio altimeter systems may be unable to block or filter unwanted transmissions from existing and proposed 5G deployments. However, it noted Australian telecommunications companies use lower a frequency than the U.S. and there had been no confirmed reports in the country of radio altimeter interference.
