What is 5G, technology at center of air travel controversy

Zach Fuentes Image
Friday, January 21, 2022
Here's what you need to know about the new 5G technology
5G has arrived in the U.S., and it's in the center of air travel controversy. Here's what you need to know.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways said Wednesday that they've gotten the all clear to resume all of its flights to the U.S. after cancellations were announced Tuesday by several airlines in response to the planned rollout of 5G by wireless carriers.

ANA cancelled its SFO flights from Tokyo Tuesday, but those will fly again starting Thursday.

Emirates has also resumed its San Francisco flight.

The airline is putting a different type of airplane on the SFO route from Dubai starting Thursday.

RELATED: Airlines worldwide rush to change flights over 5G rollout concerns

Despite some cell phone carriers' delay in rolling out 5G technology near certain airports, international airlines rushed to change flights Wednesday.

The new C-Band 5G technology is at the center of the flight cancellations, but what improvements will the new technology mean for us once airlines and federal agencies sort out the issues?

More than 40 countries in the world have 5G C-Band technology, but the rollout of it planned here in the U.S. is set to be twice as powerful.

Tech expert and San Jose State Professor Ahmed Banafa is an electrical engineer, a main focus in his career has been communication systems.

He says the new 5G technology will give devices designed to run from it 10 times the speed and access that 4G gives.

RELATED: AT&T, Verizon to delay 5G deployment near certain airports after airlines' warning

"I look at it as going from black and white TV to a color TV, or going from a normal TV to 4k TV," he said, "You can feel the difference, you can see the different things, (you're) going to be addicted to it once you try it."

The timing of this new technology is especially critical as more corporations decide to invest in the metaverse which is described as a 3D internet with virtual communities that can be accessed from things like virtual reality goggles, headsets and more.

"The access point for the metaverse could be a smartphone, could be (goggles) that use the 5G so that will open the door for us to go to the next level of the internet."

New 5G technology isn't the last advancement we could see.

RELATED: AT&T, Verizon agree to postpone 5G rollout near airports by 2 weeks

In 2030, less than ten years from now, Banafa says we could see 6G technology with near limitless capabilities.

"Coverage everywhere, there is no way for you to lose coverage" Banfa said, "You don't need Wi Fi, you don't need ethernet, it's all the 6G, the huge bandwidth we're talking about."

But before we get too excited for faster and stronger connections, the focus now, is still on the new C-band 5G technology.

An issue airlines and wireless carriers are working to find a solution to.

"The bottom line here is, the passenger safety," Banafa said, "That's the bottom line for everybody and everybody is trying their best to make sure that it is safe."