Engineer Aderemi Adeyeye, President/CEO, Enext Wireless Inc., (an engineering company that focuses on improving user experience on Mobile Broadband Wireless Communications), has said Nigerians should disabuse their minds on the purported 5G spectrum interference on aviation signals.
Adeyeye, who is experienced engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the telecommunications industry, was reacting to reports, few days back, that International airlines are cancelling scheduled flights to most cities in the Unites States over fear of 5G network interference on aviation signals around most US cities.
The flight cancellations, according to this report were based on perceived fears that 5G spectrum used for network deployment in some cities in the US would cause serious disruption to aviation signals around the airports.
Recall that earlier in the month, Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Transportation Secretary and Steve Dickson, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) asked AT&T and Verizon Communications to delay the planned introduction of new 5G wireless service over aviation safety concerns.
Dubai’s Emirates airline, for instance, announced last that it would suspend flights to several destinations in the United States as of January 19, until further notice because of concerns over 5G mobile network deployment.
Meanwhile, TechEconomy.ng’s investigations show the has resumed flights to the US.
Why are the airlines worried about interference issues with 5G?
A BBC report on the matter reads: The aviation industry is concerned that wireless carriers’ 5G radios using C-band spectrum will interfere with aircraft altimeters, which are used to measure altitude. Altimeters calculate the distance between an airplane and the ground by transmitting radio frequency signals and measuring the time it takes for those signals to bounce back.
“Though a malfunctioning altimeter is a big problem anytime during flight, it’s especially dangerous in foggy or hazy conditions when pilots are descending during approach and can’t clearly see a runway. A crash could result, which is at the core of the FAA’s worry.
“The problem is that altimeter receivers operate in the 4.2GHz to 4.4GHz range on the radio frequency spectrum. The C-band of spectrum that the wireless industry is using to deploy 5G service is between 3.7GHz and 3.9GHz, which is basically next door.”
No cause for worry in Nigeria over 5G Spectrum for deployment
According to Adeyeye, the C-band spectrum that has been allocated by the Nigerian Communications Commission – 3.5 GHz to 3.8 GHz – is further away from the aviation spectrum in contention than the US allocations.
“Our sense is that the US contention will ultimately be resolved as this appears to be a matter of improving the filters in the receivers used by the airliners at the very worst.
“Last but not least, there is really nothing 5G -specific about this discussion any more than there was 5G-specific issue with the earlier health concern.
“The issue has to do with the spectrum being used, not 5G which can be deployed in all bands being used currently for mobile communication”, he argued.
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