Queen’s Gambit – January 18, 2022

UK carriers including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have not said if they expected their services to be affected.

The fear among airlines, aircraft manufacturer Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration is that the new 5G network could interfere with vital aircraft instruments that are on a similar wavelength, such as altimeters

Rollout of 5G in the US is POSTPONED just hours before switch-on after fears to could interfere with aeroplanes’ instruments, causing chaos and grounding flights across the country

Rollout of 5G in US paused after rollout was scheduled to begin on Wednesday amid fears over aeroplanes
CEOs of US carriers earlier warned of an impending ‘catastrophic’ crisis when AT&T and Verizon deploy 5G
Concerned that it could disrupt instruments that tell pilots their altitude, causing confusion during landings
Not seen as a problem in the UK and Europe, where 5G operates on a different wavelength than America

What are US airlines worried about and could British planes be affected?

The debate about whether 5G has the potential to interfere with crucial aeroplane instruments is intense and unresolved.

What are the airlines worried about?

Airlines are concerned that the new 5G network could affect aircraft instruments including altimeters, which measure a plane’s distance from the ground.

This is because both the new 5G network and the altimeters will operate at a similar wavelength.

What are the networks saying?

AT&T and Verizon say there is no evidence their new network will interfere with aircraft operating systems. They have previously delayed the rollout to allow for more research to take place.

What is the view in the UK and Europe?

5G is not seen as a problem for aircraft in Britain or Europe, according to the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Ofcom and EU Aviation Safety Authority.

All three insist there is no evidence 5G interferes with aircraft systems. 5G in Europe is on a different wavelength, which is seen as less likely to affect planes than the one used in America.

The rollout of 5G in the US has been postponed just hours before it was due to be switched on following fears it could interfere with instruments – causing chaos and grounding flights into the country.

The CEOs of major US carriers earlier warned of an impending ‘catastrophic’ crisis if AT&T and Verizon were to finally deploy their new 5G services from the early hours, with hundreds of flights potentially called off.

The new technology was due to launch around the US on Wednesday – a deadline that has been in the making for two years. To launch, AT&T and Verizon towers that emit the signals necessary to power it were due to be switched on.

However, there are some 500 towers that the FAA says are too close to 88 airports and could make it unsafe for planes to fly.

The fear among airlines, aircraft manufacturer Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration was that the new 5G network could interfere with vital aircraft instruments that are on a similar wavelength.

This includes altimeters, which tell pilots their altitude as they fly in low visibility. Any false readings could confuse them as they approach the runway in poor visibility conditions, with potentially disastrous results.

This is not seen as a problem in Britain or Europe, with the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, Ofcom and EU Aviation Safety Authority all insisting there is no evidence 5G is a problem.

In Europe, 5G networks run on a different frequency to the US, which is seen as less likely to affect altimeters than the one used across the pond.

An aviation expert who did not want to be named told MailOnline: ‘Most of Europe and the rest of the world have 3.2-3.8GHz usage in the 5G spectrum.

‘But the US within the spectrum goes up to 3.9GHz to 4.1-4.2GHz.

‘Altimeters on planes are in the 4.4GHz range, so there’s more chance of potential interference with the 5G spectrum in the US.’

Travel expert Paul Charles said: ‘There’s no evidence of any problems in other countries including the UK of 5G interfering with aircraft safety systems, so I think it’s a case of American airlines needing more education before 5G can be rolled out

‘But from a passenger point of view, the advice is to plan your trip as normal and check for any cancellations.’

UK carriers including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have not said if they expected their services to be affected.

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