What happens if you don’t put your phone in airplane mode? – Lindsay DeMarchi

VIDEOSCRIPT:

Right now, invisible signals are flying through the air all around you. Beyond the spectrum of light your eyes can see, massive radio waves as wide as houses carry information between computers, GPS systems, cell phones, and more. In fact, the signal your phone broadcasts is so strong, if your eyes could see radio waves, your phone would be visible from Jupiter. At least your special eyes would be able to see this if the sky wasn’t flooded with interference from routers, satellites, and, of course, people flying who haven’t put their phones on airplane mode.

You see, this setting isn’t to protect your flight; it’s to protect everyone else in your flight path. Cell phones connect to networks by emitting information in the form of electromagnetic waves—specifically, radio waves, which occupy this band of the electromagnetic spectrum. These radio waves come in a range of wavelengths, and let’s imagine your special eyes see the various wavelengths as different colors.

When you make a call, your phone generates a radio wave signal which it throws to the nearest cell tower. If you’re far from service, your phone will expend more battery power to send a higher amplitude signal in an effort to make a connection. Once connected, this signal is relayed between cell towers all the way to your call’s recipient. Since your call isn’t the only signal out here, cell towers managing the calls assign each phone involved its own wavelength. This specific color ensures you’re not picking up other people’s calls. It’s even slightly different from the wavelength your phone is receiving information on, so as not to interfere with that incoming signal.

But there are only so many colors to choose from. And since the advent of Wi-Fi, the demand for ownership of these wavelengths has increased dramatically. With all these signals in the air and a limited number of colors to assign, avoiding interference is increasingly difficult. Especially when cell towers receive too many signals at once, such as during regional emergencies, when everyone’s trying to use their phones.

But other sources of interference are more preventable, like phones searching for signals from thousands of meters in the sky. Phones on planes are very far from cell towers, so they work overtime to send the loudest signals they can in search of service. But since planes travel so quickly, the phones might find themselves much closer to a cell tower than expected—blasting it with a massive signal that drowns out those on the ground. So when you fly without using airplane mode, you’re essentially acting as a military radio jammer—sending out giant radio waves that interfere with nearby signals.

Even on the ground, almost all our electronics emit rogue radio waves, slowing down our internet and making our calls choppy. This leads consumers to pay for more bandwidth, pushing service providers to take over more of the radio spectrum, and eventually, send more satellites into the sky—creating a vicious cycle that could eventually blot out the stars.

Though, even without these satellites, this system is threatening our relationship with the cosmos. Radio telescopes used for astronomy rely on a specific band of wavelengths to see deep into space. However, while this range is supposedly protected, the cutoffs aren’t enforced. For example, the Very Large Array can see signals throughout our solar system from 1 to 50 GHz. But if it tries looking for signals below 5 GHz, its search could be drowned out by a sea of phones on 5G networks.

Today, nowhere on Earth is truly radio quiet. Satellites relaying signals around the globe have blanketed the planet in radio waves. But there are a few places with less crowded skies, where radio telescopes can look deep into space. Here, we can see the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and uncover the secrets of galaxies up to 96 billion light years away. Well, so long as we’re not blinded by phones sending signals from first class.

VOCABULARY:

• invisible /ɪnˈvɪzəbl/ – Not able to be seen. SYN: unseen, hidden.
• spectrum /ˈspɛktrəm/ – The range of different colors or wavelengths of light. SYN: range, band.
• Jupiter /ˈdʒuːpɪtər/ – The largest planet in the solar system, often referenced for size or distance.
• interference /ˌɪntərˈfɪərəns/ – Disruption or disturbance of a signal. SYN: disruption, obstruction.
• airplane mode /ˈɛrpleɪn moʊd/ – A setting on a phone that disables network connections. SYN: flight mode.
• electromagnetic /ɪˌlɛktrəʊmæɡˈnɛtɪk/ – Relating to the field produced by electric and magnetic forces. SYN: electric-magnetic (no common direct synonym).
• wavelength /ˈweɪvˌlɛŋθ/ – The distance between waves, especially in the context of radio or light waves. SYN: frequency, oscillation distance.
• amplitude /ˈæmplɪˌtjuːd/ – The strength or height of a wave. SYN: intensity, magnitude.
• recipient /rɪˈsɪpiənt/ – A person who receives something. SYN: receiver, addressee.
• advent /ˈædvɛnt/ – The arrival or beginning of something. SYN: arrival, emergence.
• ownership /ˈoʊnərˌʃɪp/ – The act or right of possessing something. SYN: possession, proprietorship.
• regional emergencies /ˈriːdʒənəl ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsiz/ – Situations of crisis in a specific area. SYN: local crises, area-specific disasters.
• preventable /prɪˈvɛntəbl/ – Capable of being stopped or avoided. SYN: avoidable, stoppable.
• military radio jammer /ˈmɪlɪtɛri ˈreɪdiəʊ ˈdʒæmər/ – A device used to block or interfere with radio signals. SYN: signal blocker.
• choppy /ˈtʃɒpi/ – Not smooth, often disrupted. SYN: uneven, irregular.
• vicious cycle /ˈvɪʃəs ˈsaɪkəl/ – A situation in which a problem causes itself to continue or worsen. SYN: negative loop, downward spiral.
• radio telescope /ˈreɪdiəʊ ˈtɛlɪˌskoʊp/ – A device used to observe radio waves from space. SYN: space antenna, radio receiver.
• astronomy /əˈstrɒnəmi/ – The scientific study of space and celestial bodies. SYN: stargazing, astrophysics.
• Very Large Array /ˈvɛri lɑːrdʒ əˈreɪ/ – A group of radio telescopes that work together. SYN: large telescope system.
• black hole /ˈblæk hoʊl/ – A region in space with intense gravitational pull that nothing can escape. SYN: gravitational sink.
• first class /ˌfɜːrst ˈklæs/ – The highest quality section in air travel. SYN: premium cabin, top-tier.