According to foreign media reports, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is preparing to issue a warning that C-band 5G signals may interfere with flight safety. It is expected that operators’ upcoming commercial launches may cause flight delays and cancellations.
“The Wall Street Journal” report shows that the Federal Aviation Administration is drafting guidelines to explain how C-band 5G affects the performance of radar altimeters on aircraft. And if pilots do not use cockpit systems that rely on high-level equipment, the agency expects flight schedules to be affected.
The frequency spectrum used by the radar altimeter is in the 4.2GHz to 4.4GHz frequency band. In the United States, mobile operators are expected to use the C-band (n77) spectrum from 3.3GHz to 4.2GHz. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocated spectrum from 3.7GHz to 3.98GHz in an auction earlier this year.
Satellite companies are clearing spectrum for mobile operators, and 5G services (based on auctioned spectrum) will be launched in 46 markets in the United States on December 6.
Before the C-band spectrum auction, the U.S. aviation industry expressed concern. Earlier last month, Bradley Mims, deputy director of the Federal Aviation Administration, expressed “deep concern” about potential interference.
Outside the United States, there are several operators operating C-band 5G networks.