{"id":6109,"date":"2022-07-01T07:05:15","date_gmt":"2022-07-01T07:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ugandaupdatenews.com\/?p=6109"},"modified":"2022-07-01T07:05:33","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T07:05:33","slug":"aviation-safety-systems-can-safely-co-exist-with-new-5g-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/aviation-safety-systems-can-safely-co-exist-with-new-5g-services\/","title":{"rendered":"Aviation safety systems can safely co-exist with new 5G services"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Doha) – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged governments to work
closely with the aviation industry to ensure that aviation and incumbent aviation safety systems can safely
co-exist with new 5G services <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While IATA recognizes the economic importance of making spectrum available to support next generation commercial wireless telecommunications, maintaining current levels of safety of passengers, flight crews, and aircraft must continue to be one of governments\u2019 highest priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The call came as the industry was meeting in Doha, Qatar at the 78 th IATA Annual General Meeting.
\u201cWe must not repeat the recent experience in the United States, where the rollout of C-band spectrum 5G
services created enormous disruption to aviation, owing to the potential risk of interference with radio
altimeters that are critical to aircraft landing and safety systems. In fact, many countries have successfully
managed to facilitate the requirements of 5G service providers, while including necessary mitigations to
preserve aviation safety and uninterrupted services. These include, for example, Brazil, Canada, France
and Thailand,\u201d said Willie Walsh, IATA\u2019s Director General.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before deciding on any spectrum allocations or conducting spectrum auctions, IATA called for
governments to ensure close coordination and mutual understandings between national spectrum and
aviation safety regulators so that each frequency allocation\/assignment is comprehensively studied and is
proven not to adversely impact aviation safety and efficiency. Robust testing in coordination with aviation
subject matter experts is critically important in providing necessary information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Measures that have already been used by some governments include, thorough testing, sufficient spectrum separation between 5G C-band deployments and 4.2- 4.4 GHz frequency band used by existing radio altimeters.\uf0b7 Clearly codify and enforce the maximum power limit for 5G C-band transmission and downward tilting of 5G antennae particularly in the vicinity of flightpaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Establishment of sufficient 5G C-band prohibition and precautionary zones around airports
IATA noted that airlines operating to\/from and within the US continue to contend with the effects of the
rollout of 5G, including a pending airworthiness directive from the Federal Aviation Administration requiring
them to retrofit\/upgrade radio altimeters at their own expense to enable the respective aircraft to continue
to utilize CAT II and CAT III low-visibility approaches at many US airports where 5G C-Band service is
currently or will be deployed in future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The timely availability of upgraded altimeters is a concern, as are the cost of these investments and the lack of certainty regarding the future spectrum environment. Furthermore, 19 additional telecommunications companies are scheduled to deploy 5G networks by December 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFAA\u2019s unilateral decision to require airlines to replace or upgrade their existing radio altimeters \u2013 which
are approved by both the FAA and the US Federal Communications Commission \u2013 by July 2023 is deeply
disappointing and unrealistic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FAA has not even approved or certified all the safety solutions that it will
require, nor have systems providers been able to say with certainty when the equipment will be available
for much of the fleet. So how can there be any confidence in the timeline? Furthermore, FAA can provide
no guarantee that airlines will not have to carry out further upgrades to radio altimeters as even more
powerful 5G networks are deployed in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safety is our highest priority, but it cannot be achieved with this rushed approach. The FAA needs to continue working with all stakeholders collaboratively and transparently, including the FCC and the telecom sector, to define solutions and
deadlines that reflect reality,\u201d said Walsh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)
both have recognized and reminded their Member States and Administrations of the importance of
ensuring that existing aviation systems and services are free from harmful interference. 2 This will become
even more critical as more and more spectrum is being allocated to new generation telecommunications
services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n