Tag Archives: 5G

AT&T and Verizon Delay 5G Rollout Due to FAA’s Airline Safety Concerns

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AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., agreed to delay their planned December 5 rollout of a new 5G frequency band so they can work with the Federal Aviation Administration to address concerns about potential interference with key cockpit safety systems, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The Verge reported that AT&T and Verizon planned to light up new 5G networks that use so-called “C-band” frequencies on December 5th. That rollout will now be delayed until at least January 5th, the companies said Thursday.

Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) posted a “Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin”. The subject was “Risk of Potential Adverse Effects on Radio Altimeters”. In short, the FAA wants radio altimeter manufactures to submit receiver RF selectivity, interference, and tolerance masks, and baseline operational specifications for each model number in production or still in use, and approximate numbers of each radio altimeter model currently in service in the United States.

The FAA also wants radio altimeter manufacturers to test each of their models to determine the susceptibility to interference from fundamental emissions in 3700-3800 MHz, which “is available for wireless broadband in December of 2021”, and the full 3700-3980 Mhz band which will become available later.

In addition, the FAA has a list of requests for aircraft manufacturers, operators, and pilots, regarding the 5G frequency band that AT&T and Verizon want to use.

According to The Verge, AT&T said it is working with the FAA and FCC to better understand that aviation industry’s concerns. In a statement provided to The Verge, “It is critical that these discussions be informed by the science and the data. That is the only path to enabling experts and engineers to assess whether any legitimate co-existence issues exist.”

Verizon provided a statement to The Wall Street Journal. “We appreciate the FCC’s work in its discussions with the FAA and others to ensure a data-driven analysis that will again demonstrate that 5G operations in this band pose no risk to flight safety.”

I get the feeling that AT&T and Verizon are frustrated that they cannot roll out their 5G frequency band just yet. According to the Wall Street Journal, telecom industry officials don’t feel the need for more safeguards, saying that available evidence doesn’t show that the proposed 5G signals will interfere with flight equipment. Cellphone carries outside of the United States are using the that 5G frequency.

Social Media Sites to Reduce Spread of Conspiracy Theories about Coronavirus

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There are few things more dangerous than spreading conspiracy theories about coronavirus (COVID-19) during a pandemic. Misleading information can cause people to get hurt, get sick, or die. Fortunately, YouTube and Twitter are starting to make efforts to reduce the spread of coronavirus conspiracy theories, including the one about 5G.

YouTube has added policy regarding monetization and videos about COVID-19. Content must adhere to YouTube’s Advertiser-Friendly and Community Guidelines in order to be eligible for monetization. Breaking YouTube’s policies regarding coronavirus can also result in videos being removed.

The following things can result in a video losing eligibility for monetization:

Distressing Footage: Footage of people visibly suffering due to COVID-19.

Pranks & Challenges: Any COVID-19 related prank or challenge that promotes medically dangerous activities, such as purposeful exposure to the virus or incites panic. It includes the “licking toilet seat challenge”, coughing or sneezing on bystanders or food, and dressing in a hazmat suit and inspecting others.

Medical Misinformation: Content that misinforms users about health matters related to COVID-19. This includes content that encourages non-medical tests or exams for COVID-19, or false/unsubstantiated claims about the cause, promotion of dangerous remedies or cures, and origin or spread of COVID-19 that contradicts scientific consensus. The conspiracy theory that COVID-19 is spread by 5G is included as medical misinformation.

This is significant because, as The Guardian reported today, the UK government is to hold talks with social media platforms after mobile phone masts in Birmingham, Merseyside, and Belfast were set on fire by people who believe the conspiracy theory linking 5G networks to coronavirus.

In addition, broadband engineers have faced physical and verbal threats while trying to do their job. There is a clear link between people who fall for the 5G conspiracy theory and decide to abuse broadband engineers, and the risk of the physical and mental health of those workers. There is no evidence of a link between 5G and coronavirus.

Twitter updated its policies regarding COVID-19 and will remove tweets that include misinformation about global or local health authorities recommendations to decrease the spread of the virus, alleged cures (that may be ineffective or harmful), denial of established scientific facts about transmission during the incubation period of COVID-19, or things that can cause widespread panic, social unrest, or large-scale disorder.

It sounds to me like the conspiracy theory about 5G causing coronavirus would count as “widespread panic, social unrest, or large-scale disorder.” People intentionally setting fires near where you live can easily cause widespread panic.

OnePlus Goes All In On 5G

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OnePlus in a Red BoxAs the OnePlus publicity machine winds up in advance of their biannual smartphone release, CEO Pete Lau has announced that the new range of phones will support 5G.

“This is a milestone both for OnePlus and our users. We’re proud to be among the first smartphone manufacturers to have full 5G line up for our next launch,” said OnePlus Founder and CEO Pete Lau. “OnePlus has achieved many firsts with 5G, and this time’s no exception.”

“We believe that following the dawn of the 5G era, the smartphone experience will go through a dramatic development,” Lau added. “5G’s low latency and enhanced cloud services will undoubtedly help us achieve a truly interconnected experience, while also providing exciting developments in areas like gaming, which are vitally important for OnePlus’ tech-savvy users.”

As a OnePlus owner (6T) this sounds like good news, though I maintain a dose of skepticism on 5G – we heard much of the same noise when 4G launched. Anyway, I imagine the new phones will be one of the more cost-effective ways of purchasing a 5G phone. However, it’s likely there will be some kind of price bump over the 7 series. In an interview with CNET, he said, “Last year we launched the 7 Pro and the 7 together and there was a lot of excitement around this,” Lau said. “I think that this year again everyone should expect a lot to look forward to in 5G products with a reasonable price.”

The new models weren’t confirmed in the interview but the expectation is that there will be an 8 and an 8 Pro. There are also persistent rumours about an 8 Lite which were neither confirmed or denied by the CEO and founder. From a subsequent tweet by Lau, it looks like the phones will be using the Qualcomm 5G chipset.

The grapevine has the launch pencilled in for mid-April. I imagine it will be an online event given the current spread of Covid-19.

5G Comes to UK on EE

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5G launched today in six UK cities on the EE mobile network, offering “gigabit” speed levels for mobile device users.

The lucky six cities are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester, with further rollouts to Bristol, Coventry, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield later in the year. In 2020, ten more towns and cities will get 5G sites, including Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Brighton, Cambridge, Dundee, Exeter, Ipswich, Norwich, Plymouth and York.

The choice of 5G handset is a little limited right now, with only the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G available at launch, though the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, Oppo Reno 5G and LG V50 ThinQ 5G can be pre-ordered at EE. The OnePlus 7 Pro 5G comes in Nebula Blue with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB ROM. Top of the range that.

And Huawei managed to get in on the act too, with a photograph showing that the BBC were using a Huawei antenna for their outside broadcast. (As spotted by The Register).

Below is a video from OnePlus showing a speed test on both a 4G and 5G network. Obviously, the real world data transfer rates will depend on many factors, such as distance from the transmitter and number of 5G phones in the area, but it’s a ten-fold increase in speed. I seem to remember similar promises going from GPRS to 3G and from 3G to 4G, so we’ll see what happens in reality once 5G handsets become the norm.

All the mobile carriers in the UK have said they’ll launch 5G in 2019 in select cities. Vodafone is expected to be next, launching 3 July.

Inseego and Verizon Demonstrate Virtual Reality Telemedicine Over 5G

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Inseego Corp., pioneering 5G and intelligent IoT device-to-cloud solutions, and Verizon, the first in the world to launch a commercial 5G network, will unveil MiFi 5G NR mobile broadband technology on Dec. 4 at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui.

The two companies will conduct a live virtual reality telemedicine demonstration in partnership with Columbia University using an Inseego mobile hotspot device, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform and Snapdragon X50 5G modem and antenna modules with integrated RF transceiver, RF front-end and antenna elements, running on Verizon’s 5G NR mobile network deployed at the event venue.

The device also offers powerful next generation Wi-Fi performance using the Qualcomm Wi-Fi 6-ready mobile solution. The Inseego mobile hotspot launches on the Verizon network in 2019.

“Inseego is separating hype from reality by bringing advanced 5G NR mobile technology to life through a live VR-enabled healthcare application in Maui, powered by patented 5G MiFi technology,” said Inseego Chairman and CEO, Dan Mondor.

“Exceptional speed and low latency connectivity that mission-critical use cases require are being demonstrated in a real-world scenario, running on a live Verizon 5G network. This milestone reflects the impact that 5G NR will have on everyday life. We’re thrilled to show the way forward by making 5G real and more importantly, we want to demonstrate the power of 5G that will benefit society.”

Brian Higgins, vice president, device and consumer product marketing for Verizon, concurs. “An important part of making 5G a reality is collaborating with other technology leaders to advance the technology and to put it in the hands of consumers and businesses,” said Higgins.

“The new Inseego 5G hotspot device – a Verizon exclusive when it becomes available in 2019 – will give our customers another way to access the super high speeds and ultra-low latency of 5G on their mobile devices and change the ways they live, work and play.”