WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suspects new 5G cellular networks may have caused roughly 80 instances of aircraft system interference this year, with pilots reporting a range of malfunctions since the latest generation of mobile connectivity went live in January, Jon Hemmerdinger reports for Flight Global. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
3 November 2022 - “The FAA has received several hundred reports of possible 5G interference and, as of mid-September, we have been unable to rule out 5G in approximately 80 cases,” the FAA tells FlightGlobal. “None of these resulted in safety-related effects, and none affected a direct aircraft control input such as autothrottle or speed brakes/spoilers.”
According to Vox, nearly 90 million 5G devices have been shipped in the U.S. Fifth-generation (5G) technology is more than 10 times faster than previous gen speeds. The C-band frequency used by 5G operates between 3.7 and 3.98GHz.
Reuters obtained a letter dated 21 October 2022 in which Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen cited industry data established "aviation safety would be compromised if the U.S. government does not codify certain additional operating limits in the 5G C-Band environment."
The concerns stem from 5G affecting aircraft altimeters which could prove disastrous if a pilot needed to land without a visual approach. Nolan's letter noted that if the Federal Communications Commission mitigates the risk to altimeters, the "FAA would be forced to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of the traveling public, raising the likelihood of flight disruptions across the United States."
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Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace
