5G And Air Travel. How Will It Affect Montana? What’s Happening?

If you're like me, you might be wondering what is going on with the whole 5G and air travel situation.

Everywhere you turn the phone companies are arguing on TV or online over who has more 5G and how 5G is going to change the way that we live. So, first off, what is 5G? Well, according to qualcomm.com, 5G stands for "Fifth Generation".

Qualcomm goes on to explain 5G this way "5G is the 5th generation mobile network. It is a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. 5G enables a new kind of network that is designed to connect virtually everyone and everything together including machines, objects, and devices."

So, maybe you're thinking, well ok, that's cool, but how does that affect air travel?

According to newscientist.com, 5G can interfere with crucial equipment on aircraft. The website states "the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has raised concerns that 5G telephone networks will interfere with radio altimeters fitted to some aircraft. These are crucial for making landings in poor visibility and for helicopters flying at low altitudes."

So what about Montana and our airports? Take the Bozeman Yellowstone International airport, for example, the airport is the busiest in the state and one of the busiest in the northwestern part of the county. Should Montanans be worried?

According to Reuters, air travel executives think that air travel could be affected "at about 40 of the biggest U.S. airports" which would rule out any of the airports here in Montana, and throw in the fact that 5G might be a bit spotty across the state, Montana travelers should be good to go. The issue with 5G is that it requires lots of towers, especially in rural areas, like Montana. So in the bigger cities, you can expect more 5G coverage and less in rural areas, at least until more towers are built.

However, it does bring up an interesting conversation.

Do you feel comfortable with traveling if the airlines are worried over 5G? Is this something that would give you second thoughts before booking a flight? Whatever the case, it won't be long before we start talking about 6G and all of the problems that will come with that.

Credit: qualcomm, newscientist, reuters