Why does the internet often have such poor quality when you get to the airport?
One thing I’ve noticed when flying is that cell phone signal is very limited in many airports. It doesn’t always happen, but it happens a lot. I have a good connection, but when I enter the airport or move around, I start to notice that the signal drops and I get very little or very slow coverage. In some cases, the signal disappears completely. Why does this happen?
In this article, we will explain what the most common reasons are. It depends on the country as well as the airport, so if it happens to you like it did to me, you may find the solution in one of these reasons. It will not always depend on the telecom company you have contracted with.
- 4G and 5G mobile data is poor at airports
Although WiFi networks are becoming more common in airports, they are not always available and do not always work well. Sometimes we need to register, enter flight information, and even be allowed to browse only for a certain period. For this reason, it is often interesting to be able to connect via 4G and 5G mobile data.
- Antennas are far away
The first thing that can happen is that the mobile phone antennas are far from the airport. Moreover, not only are they far away, but the airport itself and the building may have a structure that prevents the signal from reaching properly. They usually have metal structures, thick glass windows, etc.
But there’s a factor: the size of the airport. If you’re flying into a large international airport, like the hubs in Doha, Istanbul, Seoul, or Atlanta, we’re talking about huge buildings where you have to walk miles to get from one place to another. So, there might be coverage in one area, but not in others.
-There is interference.
Possible interferences should also be mentioned. There are many electronic devices, radars, and communication systems. Especially near the runway is where you may encounter most of the problems in this regard. For this reason, there is often no coverage on board the aircraft or it is very weak.
It's similar, albeit on a larger scale, to what can happen in your home if you connect near Bluetooth devices or a cordless phone, both of which use the 2.4GHz frequency.
- Network saturation
On the other hand, there is the problem of saturation. At an airport, at certain times of the day, there may be a large number of people. Think of the number of flights that leave the airport every day, for example. Just as network saturation occurs during a football match attended by tens of thousands of people or at a large concert, the same thing can happen here.
Network saturation or congestion can weaken the signal or even make communication impossible.
-They are blocking the signal.
Another case is that there may be a signal blockage. At Dushanbe Airport in Madrid, I saw a clear case of disruption. I had maximum internet coverage, but as soon as I went through baggage control and passport control and entered the international area, I immediately lost coverage. I had nothing. We went from having maximum coverage to not being able to connect at all. There was clearly some kind of blockage.
In addition, there may be inhibitors to prevent interference. You already know that you are not allowed to use your mobile phone during the flight so as not to interfere with communications. They may use jammers so as not to affect the control tower.
In short, these are some of the cases where there may be problems with internet access inside airports. It is very common and can be annoying when we want to send a message or search for some data.