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Will 5G Networks Make Planes Crash?
Another case of hype versus real-world facts
In recent days the news media has been full of gloriously sensationalist reportage regarding the standoff between wireless network providers and airline companies. According to the US airlines (United, Delta, Southwest, etc.) the new 5G networks will interfere with aircraft altimeters which, in adverse weather conditions, could potentially lead to aircraft instruments indicating incorrect altitude and thus causing pilots to crash into the ground as they descend on an incorrect glide path.
This is precisely the sort of lurid scaremongering that grabs people’s eyeballs and leads to low-quality decision-making both by individuals and by governments. But behind the hype, what’s the reality?
The FCC conducted significant technical research into the issue and found several pertinent facts. The first is that other countries have deployed 5G networks and to date precisely zero incidents of any interference with aircraft instruments have been reported. Although the USA loves to imagine itself “the exceptional nation” it is difficult to argue that the USA magically has different laws of physics.
The second is that the power of 5G networks is feeble compared to existing uses of frequencies in the same range. Military radars have long operated…
