After serious security concerns in aviation due to the introduction of the new 5G mobile communications standard in the USA, two industry giants have given in.
Cellular companies AT&T and Verizon said they had decided not to roll out 5G near airports for the time being.
This was preceded by a conflict with US airlines who fear air traffic disruptions.
The White House had to admit that the problem is still unresolved. But spokeswoman Jen Psaki assured at a press conference after reporters' questions: "We have the safest airspace in the world. As you said, we are actively working with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), the cell phone providers, We are working with airlines and aviation equipment manufacturers to find a solution."
"Altimeters also work wirelessly"
David Koenig from the Associated Press news agency explains what is involved and what causes the problems: "Altimeters also work wirelessly and use a spectrum that is quite close to the C-band of the spectrum used for the new 5G service. "
But in Europe, 5G is already deployed and there are no known problems for the airlines. The European Aviation Safety Agency said on 17 December 2021 it was working closely with aircraft manufacturers, member countries' aviation authorities and national spectrum regulators to assess, among other things, the risk of 5G disruptions in EU airspace. At this point in time, no risk of "unsafe interference" has been identified in Europe.
5G frequencies differ in the US and Europe. In the USA it is between 3.7 and 3.98 gigahertz. In Europe it is between 3.4 and 3.8 gigahertz. In principle, the higher the frequency, the better the service.
In this context, the German Federal Network Agency announced that there is a significantly lower risk potential in Germany. The background is that other 5G frequencies than in the USA are used.
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