There was concern in the United States earlier this week as aviation officials said that airlines would reportedly not be able to meet the new 5G wireless interference guidelines, meaning the necessary changes to airplane altimeters would not be reached by March and July deadlines.
The issue is that with the rollout of 5G - which stands for 5th Generation - a much stronger, quicker service might interfere with the current airplane altimeters, which measure altitude. The new 5G towers are more powerful and the fear is that towers near airports will interfere with aircraft altimeters.
In the US, airlines have been given a deadline to retrofit these altimeters, which according to IATA have been delayed due to "supply chain issues, certification delays and unavoidable logistical challenges."
What does this mean for Canadians?
"This is seen as more of an issue in the US for now because of the way they are rolling out 5G," says aviation consultant Stuart MacDonald. "In Canada, we are not using these higher-risk frequencies yet - but they are scheduled to be "auctioned" this year, meaning they will be used in the future."
Stuart Macdonald (Photo: Stuart Macdonald)
MacDonald says Canadians should be wary of potential issues if travelling in the US on any airline.
"The question of potential interference with altimeters remains an open one and airlines might say they won't operate to/from the US due to the risk or there might be an incident that could have a big impact, such as flights being stopped until the wireless companies turn off the towers near the airports."
The 5G concern has been a non-issue in Europe because they are using a lower frequency less likely to interfere and the wireless companies have worked with airlines and airports to reduce risk.
"My view is that the situation they have now, where the towers near airports are not using the questionable frequencies now, will likely just continue until something is resolved. It will likely be a combination of wireless companies making adjustments and aircraft getting updated altimeters which won't be impacted."
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