Canada avoids American confusion of 5G impact on airports

Early consultations on regulations to 5G rollout affecting air traffic seems to have resulted in Canada avoiding a dispute that roiled the American telecom market. On the last day of 2021, United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and the Federal Aviation Administration’s Stephen Dickson sent a letter to AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. asking them to delay implementation of their 5G networks, citing possible interference at airports. On Jan. 3 the American telecoms refused; the next day they capitulated and agreed to delay rollout for two weeks. "We know aviation safety and 5G can co-exist and we are confident further collaboration and technical assessment will allay any issues," AT&T wrote in a Tuesday release. Meanwhile in Canada, last August the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) called for comments on its Standard Radio System Plan (SRSP) 520 to see if the deployment of spectrum in the 3,500 MHz band would affect the operation of aircraft. The telecom industry, airline stakeholders and the Department of National Defence were among those submitting interventions by the October deadline. The telecoms generally opposed restrictions on operating, saying they would hinder the rollout of 5G; the airline consortium stressed possible interference with air traffic control signals. The department, in its November decision, walked a fine line, agreeing with points raised by both sides. It accepted the airline view that base stations should have spurious emissions of -13 dBm/MHz (a measure of power spectrum density), although ISED conceded more study may be necessary. Several telecoms pointed to France which has abandoned its regulations regarding down-tilt for antennae, which would direct radio frequencies toward the ground. Some, such as Rogers Communications Inc., Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp., and Telus Corp., argued Canada should gradually work its way toward a policy like France’s while others, like BCE Inc and the Mobile Interest Group made up of Bell Mobility, Nokia Corp., Ericsson AB, Rogers, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., SaskTel and Telus, called for an immediate implementation of the forbearance. The coalition of aviation stakeholders, DND and Transport Canada said the rules for placement of antennae are necessary for public safety. ISED has established exclusion zones near airports but would permit telecoms to operate base stations outside the perimeter. “ISED is of the view that the proposed exclusion zones should not significantly impede the majority of the deployment scenarios in the 3500 MHz band,” the decision said. In the protection zones the department proposed to allow deployment, provided operators have a power flux density of 300 feet.Less than one per cent of towers are located within the protection zones. Bell, Iristel Inc., the Radio Advisory Board of Canada, Rogers, SaskTel, Telus and Xplornet Communications Inc. said they were unaware of any jurisdiction worldwide that has imposed such widespread restrictions. They said ISED should not implement the mitigation measures in the SRSP. ISED, in consultation with the Department of Transport, is continuing to study the matter. The next hurdle 5G deployment in Canada faces is the decision on whether to allow telecoms to use equipment from Huawei Technologies Ltd. Before Christmas, Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said a ruling would come soon but was not specific on the date. –Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca and editing by Michael Lee-Murphy mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca

Canada avoids American confusion of 5G impact on airports

News | January 5, 2022

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Canada avoids American confusion of 5G impact on airports

News | January 5, 2022

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