Phones on planes

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Ultimate Geek
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#3462209 17-Feb-2026 13:03

SaltyNZ:

Not sure why 5G would have anything to do with it. The band closest to GNSS is the 1800MHz band which has been in use for cellular since 2G (and is not used for 5G anywhere yet, to the best of my knowledge).

Usually it doesn't have much to do with the frequency, but the power of the transmitters can over power the receivers on aircraft. GNSS signals are very, very weak.

SaltyNZ

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#3462210 17-Feb-2026 13:07

empacher48:

SaltyNZ:

Not sure why 5G would have anything to do with it. The band closest to GNSS is the 1800MHz band which has been in use for cellular since 2G (and is not used for 5G anywhere yet, to the best of my knowledge).

Usually it doesn't have much to do with the frequency, but the power of the transmitters can over power the receivers on aircraft. GNSS signals are very, very weak.

Sure, but once again, cellular transmitters at the airport have been a thing since before I moved here 23 years ago.

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empacher48

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#3462213 17-Feb-2026 13:13

SaltyNZ:

Sure, but once again, cellular transmitters at the airport have been a thing since before I moved here 23 years ago.

However, 5G has created documented issues with aviation since its creation.

Initially it was found to have issues with Radar Altimeters, and now GNSS interference. Hence why the FAA (USA), EASA (Europe) and CASA (Australia) do put limits on the power of 5G antennas around airports and their arrival and departure paths.

IATA are significantly concerned about it and if you want to deep dive into the issues have a read Aviation and 5G from IATA

SpartanVXL

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#3462215 17-Feb-2026 13:14

I think theres more concern around loose items being out versus signal interference.

But yea, its the FA’s job to enforce it. Up to you if you want to alert them but you don’t have to, as you said you have to sit next to them for multiple hours.

Tinkerisk

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#3462217 17-Feb-2026 13:19

Just keep arguing. As an insider, I can only chuckle at it. If I told you what's really behind it, nobody would believe it anyway. 🤣

Just think about it: if the avionics were truly disrupted by this, what kind of design would that be? 🙂

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#3462222 17-Feb-2026 13:25

Tinkerisk:

Just keep arguing. As an insider, I can only chuckle at it. If I told you what's really behind it, nobody would believe it anyway. 🤣

Oh I'm quite sure 90% of the motivation is "because that way we can sell you access to your choice of movies on the plane". It's absolutely possible to build electronics that can cope with potential interference, even fairly sensitive radios. Look around and you'll quite often see two cellular towers with antennas pointing straight at one another. Certainly not ideal, but you can manage it. So the interference argument might have been true enough back in the very early days of portable electronic devices but that's 2-3 aircraft generations ago now.

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Tinkerisk

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#3462223 17-Feb-2026 13:29

SaltyNZ:

Tinkerisk:

Just keep arguing. As an insider, I can only chuckle at it. If I told you what's really behind it, nobody would believe it anyway. 🤣

Oh I'm quite sure 90% of the motivation is "because that way we can sell you access to your choice of movies on the plane". It's absolutely possible to build electronics that can cope with potential interference, even fairly sensitive radios. Look around and you'll quite often see two cellular towers with antennas pointing straight at one another. Certainly not ideal, but you can manage it. So the interference argument might have been true enough back in the very early days of portable electronic devices but that's 2-3 aircraft generations ago now.

That doesn't sound bad at all. 🙂

pdh

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#3462226 17-Feb-2026 13:33

I'm a long way from knowing enough about rf interference... but I did spend some years shielding small micro-computer based control systems from industrial interference - and even more sensitive electronics from the micro-processor interference.

I've always been suspicious about the whole 'the plane will crash' meme.

(a) afaik, no incident has ever been reported of a near-crash caused by cellphone interference.
No 'This is your pilot speaking... will the active cellphones please shut down as I've lost my altimeter'.
(Remember, we did hear lots about notebooks & tablets catching fire.)

(b) bad actors (as the OP witnessed) and far more commonly, casual snafus must mean a lot of phones misbehaving.
At least once, I've discovered that my hitting the 'flight-mode' didn't 'take' - or I'd just forgotten.
And I went 'Oh Shit' and resolved to do better the next time.
I'm sure that a few of us have had that same problem at a concert or film over the years.
People make mistakes.

(c) It would be relatively trivial to retrofit all commercial jets with a cabin detector for cell transmissions.
Thereby enabling the identification & confiscation of offending devices.
So the fact that nobody has ever even lobbied for this - hints at it being a very minor issue.

(d) It would also be trivial for your phone to detect a 'takeoff' - and switch itself into flight mode.
How else do you accelerate to 150 knots and suddenly rise in altitude like that ?
That could be an app (like my bike ride app's 'you have crashed & I'm calling your mum' function)
or simply a part of Apple or Android's basic behaviour. Why not ?

And yes, I know that it's in the Boeing & Airbus manuals...
But that's always seemed to me like the legalese in most modern instruction booklets.
This costs us nothing and who knows, it may save us a very costly lawsuit.

And yes, I still try harder to turn off my phone when I fly (or go to a concert).

Tinkerisk

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#3462231 17-Feb-2026 13:47

pdh:

'This is your pilot speaking... will the active cellphones please shut down as I've lost my altimeter'.

And my answer to this colleague would be: ‚judging the way you fly, it looks like you've lost the entire instrument panel.‘ 🤣

A little tip: it's NOT for protecting the aircraft, but for what's standing around on the ground. 🙂

johno1234

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#3462236 17-Feb-2026 14:12

Tinkerisk:

pdh:

'This is your pilot speaking... will the active cellphones please shut down as I've lost my altimeter'.

And my answer to this colleague would be: ‚judging the way you fly, it looks like you've lost the entire instrument panel.‘ 🤣

A little tip: it's NOT for protecting the aircraft, but for what's standing around on the ground. 🙂

Yes we know that and it's already been commented on earlier in the thread.

boosacnoodle

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#3462251 17-Feb-2026 14:47

Tinkerisk:

Just keep arguing. As an insider, I can only chuckle at it. If I told you what's really behind it, nobody would believe it anyway. 🤣

Just think about it: if the avionics were truly disrupted by this, what kind of design would that be? 🙂

Go on...

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MadEngineer

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#3462258 17-Feb-2026 15:12

SaltyNZ:

empacher48:

johno1234:

This is 3 years old: https://www.aviation.govt.nz/safety/safety-education-and-advice/education/vector-magazine/vector-online/interference-to-gnss-receivers-highlights-vulnerability/

And this which is updated every month and has been for the last 6 months.

F0222/26 FROM: 28 JAN 2026 04:56 TO: 27 FEB 2026 11:01
GNSS INTERFERENCE REPORTED BY SOME ACFT DURING TAXI BTN TAXIWAYS
A9 AND A10

Its a bit disconcerting taxiing around Auckland and your position error increases beyond 1Nm

Not sure why 5G would have anything to do with it. The band closest to GNSS is the 1800MHz band which has been in use for cellular since 2G (and is not used for 5G anywhere yet, to the best of my knowledge).

At a guess, harmonics.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

MikeAqua

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#3462262 17-Feb-2026 15:31

I probably would have said something, because it would annoy me and I can be impatient with dill-heads in public places. But that doesn't make it a good choice.

I wouldn't feel bad about not saying anything. If you didn't feel safe talking to the guy or alerting cabin crew, that's absolutely fine. Strictly speaking, it's their job to detect and address non-compliance. One approach can be to head to the toilet and subtly alert a crew member on the way.

Personally, I always appreciate for the chance to go off-grid on a flight. Especially if it's a working day.

Mike

Tinkerisk

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#3462284 17-Feb-2026 17:29

johno1234:

Yes we know that and it's already been commented on earlier in the thread.

That's only half the story. The other half is probably your Kashkarians ´cause you commented on earlier in the thread? 🙂

One more little tip: it has to do with making money - as is so often the case. There's nothing more to say, as I'm under an NDA.

MadEngineer

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#3462301 17-Feb-2026 18:54

I've been teaching my son to try and ask a question instead of saying something that might be considered rude or accusatory.

Something like, "So, ahh, you’re cleared for scrolling at this altitude?"

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

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