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Do 5G antennas interfere with jets when landing? This discussion is currently ongoing in the United States. So far there have been no cases worldwide.
Two large cell phone providers in the USA want to put new 5G antennas into operation. In the immediate vicinity of airports. However, the aviation industry is fighting back. Airlines fear that the antennas could interfere with aircraft on approach, specifically the important radio altimeter in the aircraft.
But what about in Switzerland, where 5G antennas have also been installed near airports for almost three years? Dominik Schibli is a certification engineer at the Federal Office of Civil Aviation and a member of a task force that deals with this topic in Switzerland.
Influence on radio altimeters?
«It could be that these radio altimeters are interfered with under certain circumstances. This could have an impact on landing approaches with very poor visibility or low-lying clouds, ”explains Schibli. Because when pilots hardly see anything, they also rely on the information from the radio altimeter, among other things. However, no such disruption in connection with 5G has been found worldwide.
So far, no such disruption has been detected worldwide, although 5G is already in operation.
This is confirmed by Swiss, for example: Your pilots have not noticed any abnormalities in this connection, the airline writes on request.
So it’s all just a storm in a water glass? Not quite. The industry has been dealing with the topic of 5G and aviation for a number of years and is aware of the possible difficulties with this technology.
Strict conditions in France
That is why the French authorities chose a particularly cautious route, as Schibli says: “The French defined two zones around the airstrips very early on. They banned 5G from one before the new technology was even introduced. In the second zone, there are particularly strict requirements for 5G antennas. “
“Should new findings arise, it should be considered whether one or the other antenna should be switched off or relocated.
In Switzerland there are already a large number of 5G antennas right at and around airports. There are no restrictions like in France. So far, however, there have been no indications that anything needs to be changed, says Schibli, who is also a pilot himself: “However, should new findings arise, one should consider whether one or the other antenna should be switched off or relocated.”
That is why there is also a task force that continuously assesses the new development. The military and air traffic control Skyguide are also involved. In Switzerland, however, the debate is generally much more sober than in the USA.
Stronger antennas in the US
This also has to do with the technical requirements: In most European countries, including Switzerland, the 5G antennas generally transmit less strongly than in the USA. In addition, they also transmit in a frequency range that, according to today’s standards, should be less critical for the radio altimeters in the aircraft.
Nevertheless, the task force in Switzerland recently published a recommendation on this subject, with the request that pilots should report any anomalies with 5G.