BY THE WAY ( A PSA )
5G AND THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY — WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR TRAVEL ?
This hot topic continues to be a big issue , especially in the airline industry . Here ’ s the latest .
WORDS / SARAH TRELEAVEN
WICHUDAPA / SHUTTERSTOCK . COM
Many consumers and cell phone providers have been looking forward to a rollout of 5G frequencies around the globe . But as the rollout moves ahead , major airlines are putting on the brakes and asking for more time to prepare . Here ’ s what that means for you and the travel industry .
WHAT ’ S THE BACKGROUND ? The rollout of the much-anticipated nationwide wireless 5G service — expected to add capacity and enhance speed as data traffic grows — has presented challenges to the airline industry , which uses similar frequencies to help determine both an aircraft ’ s altitude and its position in relation to other objects . While 5G has already been rolled out in dozens of other countries , including Japan and France , the complexity of the U . S . airspace — the most complex in the world — poses a particular challenge .
WHY ARE AIRLINES CONCERNED ABOUT THE CHANGE ? Some experts have expressed concern that aircrafts might not be able to land near 5G towers in the U . S . because the proximity to 5G antennas could interfere with commonly used radio altimeter equipment — something that would create chaos across the country ’ s travel infrastructure . Airline executives have urgently warned of the potential for a mass grounding of thousands of flights , with the potential for hundreds of thousands of travelers to be stranded . There ’ s also concern about individual aircraft models , including the popular Boeing 777 and 787 , that use updated safety systems that could be compromised by 5G . The FAA has detected “ anomalies ” of the 787 related to 5G interference that could result in “ degraded deceleration performance , increased landing distance and runway excursion .” Radio
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