5G network could harm old U.S. military satellites

The Pentagon is concerned that the deployment of Ligado Networks' 5G could threaten older military satellites.

Here's What We Know

The National Academy of Sciences of the United States has come to the relevant conclusions after investigating the problem of possible risks posed by the creation of a terrestrial 5G network. Ligado Networks plans to bring its system online early in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Fifth-generation cellular networks have the potential to cause harmful interference to older satellites, which are not only used by the U.S. military. The problem has presumably gone public because 5G could affect satellites from more than a dozen other U.S. federal agencies.

At the same time, the report points out that the Ligado network will not negatively affect commercial, navigation, and cellular GPS receivers. The company also emphasizes that its 5G network can coexist with GPS without any problems. However, Ligado representatives do not exclude that old equipment, which was designed without taking into account modern solutions, may need to be upgraded after the launch of the fifth-generation network.

The company has developed a program to upgrade old equipment in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Communications Commission. Ligado has already confirmed its readiness to cooperate with federal agencies in case of problems with the operation of outdated equipment.

The U.S. Department of Defense recognizes the effectiveness of replacing old GPS receivers with new ones. However, the Pentagon states that this is a goal that is difficult to achieve. How the situation will be resolved is anybody's guess. At the same time Ligado Network has already announced that it is ready to cooperate with the Department of Defense.

Source: Defense News

Image: Ligado Networks