AT&T and Verizon will delay launching new wireless service near key airports after the nation’s largest airlines said the service would interfere with aircraft technology and cause widespread flight disruptions. The decision from the companies came Tuesday as the current administration intervened to broker tried to broker a settlement between the telecoms and airlines over a rollout of new 5G service. The companies said they will launch 5G or fifth-generation service Wednesday, but they will delay turning on 5G cell towers within a 2-mile radius of runways designated by federal officials. They did not say how long they would keep those towers idle.
What 5G does that previous generations of wireless technology did not is make use of “high-band” airwaves (20 to 100GHz), allowing it to provide more and wider channels for phones to work with. It also uses a kind of encoding called OFDM that makes sending information around 30 percent faster due to more efficient coding (More Energy Wave per time/Signal Overlapping). This simply means more electronic energy in the air and through everything. Kind of like a microwave in your house with even more power to cook your food… More, More
On a personal note and being a long time pilot, I do have concerns of being more easily exposed to even higher wave length energy in the air as well as sensitive electronics affected on my aircraft at precise crucial take off and landing times.
The U.S. President said the decision by AT&T and Verizon “will avoid potentially devastating disruptions to passenger travel, cargo operations, and our economic recovery, while allowing more than 90% of wireless tower deployment to occur as scheduled.” He said the administration will keep working on a permanent solution.
Source: Reference – AP News
