The promise of what 5G will be capable of doing with regards to revolutionizing the digital world has the entirety of the planet clamouring for it to be rolled out in full as soon as possible. As is the case with any major game-changer though, there’s the potential for collateral damage if that’s not done in a calculated way. Putting airline passengers at risk because of signal interference related to 5G is exactly the type of risk that wouldn’t be acceptable, and that’s why earlier this month Canada’s Department of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development (ISED) introduced restrictions on certain 5G services in and around airports.
This is because they would interfere with radio altimeters, which are a very important component of aircraft navigation systems that tell pilots where their planes are relative to Earth. Everyone gets the importance of safety in this regard, but that isn’t going to do much to quell the displeasure for those with a 5G-enabled device who finds themselves in a bind due to something work related in the departure lounge before flying out. Or any other of many different possible scenarios.
Here at 4GoodHosting we’re like any other quality Canadian web hosting provider in that we’re as keen as any to dive into what 5G is going to be capable of, and given that the majority of you who’d be reading this are likely to be tech savvy and forward looking in that way too we thought we’d share some positive news with this week’s entry – chip giant Qualcomm may already have a potential work around for this problem that may mean the ISED’s restrictions are going to be short lived.
Band Exclusivity is Key
What they have developed is a new set of filters called UltraBAW, which are capable of making sure sure C-band receivers and transmitters only work on the C-band. While it is true that such filters already exist, and that existing C-band devices and transmitters already have filters these new filters will have a sharper cut off for frequencies over 3GHz than existing ones. This means the guard bands won’t need to be as broad as there are now around transmissions at those frequencies.
Guard bands and filters have been at the heart of controversy regarding the risk to aviation safety for some time now. The aviation industry has taken the position that either airplanes' altimeters will be confused by C-band transmissions or C-band towers leak out of their assigned bands to create a very real signal-crossing / signal misreading risks.
Co-existences + Better Filters, Better Hotspots
To date the majority of high-performance filter technologies have been focused on frequencies below 3GHz, as that is where most wireless action was located. Filtering between the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band and the very nearby 2.3GHz WCS band has been critical to mobile device performance and that’s true for nearly every device and network, and even in crossovers between them.
The longstanding filter challenge for 5G is around 1-3GHz and with moving up into higher frequencies. The 5GHz Wi-Fi band has been made safe via public safety, radar and satellite systems just fine for many, many years but 5G assignments are hemming them in much more profoundly now and if left unchecked that was something that was going to be a big problem fairly soon.
Domestic Application Too
UltraBAW is going to come well into play with Home 5G Internet Too. It cuts a sharp line between the top of 5G frequency band N79 and the bottom of 5GHz Wi-Fi and it is possible the N79 band could be repurposed for civilian use in the future too. A better filter means you do not have to turn down the volume of your access points, avoid specific channels, or alternate between transmitting on different networks.
All of these things reduce data rates and signal range, and so this new filter for making 5G safe in and around airports is also likely to make its way into the everyday consumer market by means of being incorporated into modems, hubs, and the like. In fact it is expected that it will end up in hundreds of different kinds of products. For starters, it is expected that it will be integrated into Qualcomm’s next Snapdragon chipset, a name that anyone who is even remotely familiar with the workings of handheld mobile devices is almost certainly going to recognize right away.
