New 5G Technology in US Airports Could Have Serious Consequences

5G, the well-known and relatively new technology has been planned to be implemented into the aviation scene of the United States, which includes regular passenger flights as well as rescue or emergency helicopters. However, what has been described by US airline chiefs and officials as a potential “catastrophic” crisis is underway, especially as 5G could have dangerous repercussions on the mechanics of aircraft.

C-brand, the specific type of 5G that would have been used in airports and planes, interferes with important parts of aircraft, such as radio altimeters. Altimeters are crucial to low-visibility flights, as they are used to judge the distance between the ground and the bottom of a plane. Although 5G will not necessarily cause them to completely turn off, it will likely cause inaccurate readings.

“It’s pretty alarming news, especially since I travel to the US and then back to China every summer,” said Becca H., a junior at AISG.

With shipping and passenger flights grounded and left unable to do their job, over 1,000 flights and 100,000 passengers could potentially be stuck due to delays, cancellations, and diversions per day. This would leave thousands of people trying to get to America stranded overseas.

“It seems really ironic that new technology, which was made to make people’s lives easier, could potentially effect an entire economy on such a large scale,” said Gwynnie G., a junior at AISG.

The income of the United States as a nation could potentially come to a halt if enough damage to safety procedures and travel schedules is dealt.

With multiple systems ensuring safety on planes being deemed unusable with 5G, the manufacturers of these systems would essentially be forced to stop producing them because they are incompatible with the most modern form of technology.

Methods for preventing interference on aircraft are currently being implemented within the field of aviation around the US, while more permanent methods are being created to make the new 5G technology more compatible with aviation. For instance, around airport runways, there will be boundaries created in order to keep 5G from functioning within 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) from them.