Even if you're not a frequent flyer, you've probably heard that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and numerous airlines are claiming that AT&T and Verizon Wireless's recently approved C-Band 5G will dangerously interfere with airplanes take offs and landings.
Will this new 5G be dangerous? Can a 5G call knock a plane out of the sky? Here's what we know:
There are three basic kinds of 5G:
What has the FAA and the airlines worried is a new midband variation: C-Band 5G.
The chunk of spectrum known as C-Band lies between 3.7 GHz and 4.2 GHz and it's capable of speeds in the 200-800Mbps range. In the past, it was used for satellite video providers and satellite phone services. AT&T and Verizon bought up the bulk of this spectrum for a combined$68 billion. You don't spend that kind of money unless you plan on using it.
Quick Note: There's no evidence behind the rumors that other kinds of 5G cause health problems.
The FAA has warned airlines that these signals could interfere with some altimeters that pilots use to land in conditions with low visibility.
According to a report from the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) -- a technical non-profit used by government and industry regulatory authorities -- "this frequency band may introduce harmful radio frequency (RF) interference to radar altimeters currently operating in the globally-allocated 4.2