Across the Atlantic, fears have lasted for months about the harmful effects of 5G on planes. Why ? And is France concerned?
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It is a discord that has taken hold in the United States for several months, but which has not yet really won over France: can 5G cause difficulties for planes near airports? On December 21, 2020, the Defense News site read as follows: ” The military is working to understand the risk of an air crash linked to a new sale of [fréquences] 5G. »
Could 5G therefore be an unsuspected threat for civil aviation, but also for military aircraft? You might think you heard the warnings from airlines, as well as major manufacturers. ” US Airlines Warn 5G Wireless Technology Could Disrupt Flights Reuters headline, December 16, 2021.
The problem in this case is that the United States has decided, as part of the rollout of ultra-broadband mobile in the country, to allow mobile operators to operate certain frequencies for 5G – indeed , since it is wireless telecommunications, the data must pass through radio waves.
These waves constitute the electromagnetic spectrum. It is an invisible and intangible field that is found everywhere. It is thanks to it that we can have wireless links (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.) without resorting to hardware support. This field groups together waves which have various specificities (wavelength, frequency, energy).
Frequencies that risk getting in the way
In the case of the United States, the bone of contention lies in a very specific slice of the spectrum: the band from 3.7 to 3.98 gigahertz (GHz), which is also known as the 5G C band. It turns out that this slice is relatively close to another portion of the spectrum, which this time is devoted to air operations and in particular to communication.
This band specific to aviation activities ranges from 4.2 to 4.4 GHz. However, even if there is a difference of about 200 megahertz (MHz) between the C-band 5G and that used in the context of aviation, this relative proximity between the two sections poses a greater risk of disturbance than if we had kept a greater safety margin.
In the case of France, the problem is precisely less salient insofar as there is a more marked difference between the frequencies mobilized for 5G (in France, they range from 3.4 to 3.8 GHz) and those used for the benefit of aeronautical radionavigation (4.2 to 4.4 GHz). There is, so to speak, 400 MHz of headroom.
The frequency band frieze proposed by the National Frequency Agency shows this proximity between these two blocks. It also reveals the tangle of wave needs according to uses (fixed, mobile, scientific, satellite, radiolocation, maritime, aeronautics, amateur radio, meteorology and broadcasting).
Is there a risk between 5G and planes in France?
This does not mean that in France there is not relative concern. In the weeks preceding the launch of 5G in the country, Les Échos informed on November 20, 2020 that the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) had expressed reservations about the presence of 5G antennas near airports. , and unleashed the wrath of operators.
The fear of the DGAC related to the guidance systems within the planes. In this case, it was at the level of the radio altimeter that the doubts arose. The radio altimeter uses radio waves to calculate altitude above the ground. Because of this, the tool plays an important role during landing, as it helps to determine the correct trajectory of planes.
The potential disaster scenario with frequencies that risk overlapping has so far not actually caused any particular incidents – the first authorizations were given in December 2020. In France, the National Frequency Agency (ANFR) has the task of verifying that all the uses of the spectrum coexist without problem.
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« ANFR is present in the field and ensures the good coexistence of all frequency users. It guarantees a network without interference and intervenes in the event of interference », Indicates in a frequently asked questions the authority attached to the Ministry of Industry. The ANFR is also aware of the problem linked to radio altimeters.
Thus, the ANFR explains that a report from the RTCA (Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics) of October 2020 convinced the authorities to take measures ” to protect radio altimeters operating in the 4.2-4.4 GHz band from the risk of interference », After discussions with the public authorities, operators, equipment manufacturers and the airline sector.
While waiting for ” additional studies ”, A two-tier plan has been set, with immediate application. Thus, for some airports where visibility is low, 5G operators have a ban ” to direct their beams upwards », « as well as in certain areas with a radius of 1 km around helipads of the Ministry of Defense »(There are 37 in mainland France).
5G operators also have the obligation to take technical measures to avoid too great an upward dispersion of the power of the antennas. This is called ” network lobes »On the installations when they are in operation. Here again, the aim is to limit the risk of disturbances with aircraft in flight.
Pressure is mounting in the United States with the imminence of the use of frequencies questioned
In the case of the United States, the situation continues to be debated given the small margin between the 5G C band and that used by radio altimeters. The subject tends to gain momentum across the Atlantic, precisely because this portion of the spectrum must begin to be used by operators from January 5, 2022.
Except that the calls from the aeronautical industry are increasingly strong to ask for a postponement of this launch or even, half-heartedly, its abandonment – which will not necessarily be acquired, because the operators have spent no less than 80 billion dollars to acquire licenses on these famous frequencies. They would then have to be reimbursed.
The commercial launch of the 5G C-band had already been postponed for a few months – it was due to go into operation in November 2021 initially. Reuters also reports that major US operators have also agreed to submit to precautionary measures, for a period of six months, to check for interference and, if so, to limit it.
The subject is in any case to quickly climb the ladder of power in the United States. Ars Technica indicates on December 21 that in addition to the federal administration of civil aviation and its counterpart in charge of telecommunications, the government is also in demand: Boeing and Airbus have thus sounded the alarm to Pete Buttigieg, the minister in charge of Transport.
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