quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
Watching News Nation, you'd think this is 5G-mageddon or something. Remember Y2K and the virtual nothing-burger it was? Don't they think the airlines have been getting ready for years?

They haven't, nor have avionics manufacturers because those are made to exactly meet regulatory requirements, which until the FCC approved use of that part of the spectrum, were perfectly fine.

Verizon joins AT&T in delaying 5G implementation.

......

AT&T, Verizon extend 5G delay over airline panic

AT&T and Verizon said Tuesday they would delay lighting up its 5G signals near a limited number of airports after renewed opposition from the aviation industry over concerns about signal interference.

Why it matters: The CEOs of leading airlines warned of catastrophic disruption to flights if AT&T and Verizon deployed 5G as planned this week.

Driving the news: In a statement, an AT&T spokesperson said the company would launch its 5G service as planned except near a "limited number of towers around certain airport runways as we continue to work with the aviation industry and the (Federal Aviation Administration)."

"We are frustrated by the FAA’s inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done, which is to safely deploy 5G technology without disrupting aviation services, and we urge it do so in a timely manner," the spokesperson said.

Verizon said they "have voluntarily decided to limit our 5G network around airports."

"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and our nation’s airlines have not been able to fully resolve navigating 5G around airports, despite it being safe and fully operational in more than 40 other countries," the company said in a statement.

What they're saying: In a statement Tuesday, President Biden said the carriers' decision will "avoid potentially devastating disruptions" to travel.

"This agreement protects flight safety and allows aviation operations to continue without significant disruption and will bring more high-speed internet options to millions of Americans. "

Catch up quick: The FAA has warned previously that potential interference from 5G signals, especially in bad weather, could cause flight cancellations or force planes to divert to different airports.

Verizon and AT&T have previously committed to creating buffer zones around certain airports for six months to reduce interference risks, along with other safety measures.

With those commitments, the companies planned to launch 5G service Wednesday, but faced ongoing concerns from the airlines.

https://news.yahoo.com/t-delay...-over-174845651.html

quote:

Originally posted by Dwill104:
Personally, I think this is BS on the part of the airlines. .....

Pretty sure it doesn't work the way you think it does.

quote:

Originally posted by Dwill104:

Sounds to me like the airlines <snip> are too cheap to buy new altimeters that operate on different frequencies

It's not that simple.

I thought I read where they were ahead on this 5G in Europe? They seemed to mention it was either at a lower power or a bit different frequency so that it doesn’t have the same potential to screw with a radar altimeter?

If that is the case, why wasn’t someone learning from this overseas experience??

Everywhere on the planet is "ahead of this," except the US. This is because the FCC during the prior administration sold the frequency band, without restrictions or limitations, against strong counsel otherwise.

Other countries (eg, all of them) have regulated the use of the frequency, the location of the towers, the strength and orientation, and have planned the implementation in conjunction with air operations, instead of in complete disregard to them.

The airlines can't "get ahead of this," and numerous groups loudly protested the frequency band sale, and the way it was done. Elsewhere, this was regulated. Here, not so much. Hence, the problem.

In the rush to make a public sale and enable faster playing of candy crush and viewing youtube videos of squirrels on waterskis, no consideration was given to the consequence, and in that respect, the US stood alone.

This isn't an issue of "can't the airlines just find some other frequency?" The airlines don't control the frequences, nor design the equipment. This equipment has been an integral part of air operations globally for decades, and is a bit more important than getting that twitter post out in a shorter quarter-second.

Corporate, private, military, airline, and other operations all use this equipment. Air Force 1 uses this equipment. This isn't simply something that one makes a frequency tweak, and fixes the problem. The equipment was in use long before 5G cell phones. This problem has been addressed around the world: this is a US internal issue that needs to be fixed, and it's not a new issue, or one that's just coming to light. Not remotely so. Aircraft used this frequency band long before cell phones, and long before the previous adminsitration elected to ignore all data and counsel to the contrary and proceed with a sale.

This can be worked out; it has been, everywhere else in the world. It requires eliminating towers in some locations, operating some on reduced power, re-orienting some towers, protecting approach paths, runways, and airports.

There are no "altimeters that operate on different frequencies" to buy, and it's not simply an altimeter. It's a structural part of the aircraft that integrates multiple systems (gear, throttles, ground prox warnings, flight management computers, flight control computers, flight controls, aural warnings, cockpit instrumentation, and hundreds of other components and systems. It's not like one pops a part out, then pops another (non-existent) part in. And why is it that airlines, militaries, commercial operations, private operations, corporate aircraft, and others, around the world, should change a global fleet of aircraft, systems, parts, and equipment, because of a frequency band sale to cell companies in the US (that was done against all counsel by multiple groups, agencies, and organizations)?

The solution isn't to use imaginary non-existent equipment to rebuild seveal hundred thousand aircraft at the cost of billions. It's actually a lot more simple than that, and it involves addressing it here in the US by doing the same thing with the cell structure and regulation that's been done in every other country on the planet.

The FCC needs to fix it and it will take the full cooperation of the cell industry working with the FAA, as should have been done in the first place.