The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned on Tuesday that interference from the planned use of 5G wireless spectrum would pose an air safety risk and could lead to flight diversions.

The aviation industry and the FAA have expressed concerns about 5G’s potential interference with sensitive aircraft electronic equipment such as radio altimeters. After the FAA raised concerns, AT&T and Verizon agreed in November to postpone the commercial launch of C-band wireless services to January 5.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued two airworthiness directives ordering the revision of aircraft and helicopter flight manuals to prohibit certain operations that require radio altimeter data in the presence of 5G C-band wireless broadband signals. A Federal Aviation Administration directive on Tuesday stated that “unsafe conditions” constitute a requirement for immediate action before deployment on January 5, “because aircraft automation or pilots did not detect abnormalities in the radio altimeter, especially near the ground. ….. It may cause the loss of continued safe flight and landing.”

The FAA reiterated in a statement on Tuesday that it believes that “5G expansion will coexist with aviation safety.” The agency added that the two directives “provide a framework…gather more information to avoid potential impact on aviation safety equipment.”

The FAA is still discussing the exact outline of any restrictions with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the White House, and industry officials, and is expected to be outlined in a series of notices in the coming weeks. The FCC said on Tuesday that it “continues to work with the FAA and private entities to make progress to advance the security and rapid deployment of 5G networks…We look forward to the FAA providing the latest guidance reflecting these developments in the coming weeks.”

It is not clear which airports or specific aircraft may be affected. The FAA stated that it will “issue a notice when necessary, stating that due to the presence of 5G C-band wireless broadband signals, radio altimeter data may be unreliable in certain areas.”

AT&T and Verizon said on November 24 that they will take at least six months of preventive measures to limit interference. But aviation industry groups said on Monday that they are not enough to solve aviation safety issues.

Verizon stated on Tuesday that “there is no evidence that 5G operations using C-band spectrum pose any risk to aviation safety, as evidenced by the actual experience of dozens of countries/regions using this spectrum for 5G”, adding that it is FAA is finally confident that it will conclude that the use of C-band 5G “will not pose a risk to aviation safety.”

Verizon added that it “is expected to launch 5G using the C-band next month, and use the network to reach 100 million Americans in the first quarter of 2022.”

Complete News Source : Gadgets 360