Australian Navy ship disrupts New Zealand's internet, radio
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The incident has unraveled as one of the Royal Australian Navy's biggest ships was on its way to Wellington this week.
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In this photo provided by the Australian Defense Force, Royal Australian Navy Ships Canberra, Supply, and Warramunga sail in formation with 37 ships during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2022 (AP)
The Australian Defense Force (ADF) has admitted that one of its ships mistakenly disrupted wireless internet and radio services over much of New Zealand's North and South islands this week.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning when HMAS Canberra, one of the Royal Australian Navy's largest ships, was on its way to Wellington, where it eventually arrived on Thursday.
As HMAS Canberra approached Wellington, its navigation radar interfered with wireless and radio communications across a vast area ranging from Taranaki in the North Island to the Marlborough region in the South Island.
It is claimed that when radar was detected on a frequency utilized by multiple internet providers and radio stations, those commercial operators were forced to quit utilizing the channel.
New Zealand learns of incident
The New Zealand Defense Force stated that it informed its Australian counterpart when the incident was reported.
"HMAS Canberra became aware that their navigation radar was interfering with Wi-Fi in the Taranaki to the Marlborough region on approach to Wellington," a representative from the ADF explained.
“On becoming aware, HMAS Canberra changed frequencies rectifying the interference. There are no ongoing disruptions.”
The New Zealand Defense Force stated that the issue is now deemed settled.
Reactions: From seriousness to humor
Dan O'Grady, manager of radio spectrum policy and planning at New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, stated that the country's radio spectrum management regime allows access to a wide range of radio spectrum bands for various purposes, some of which involve sharing.
“Some spectrum bands are free of charge and available for anyone to use – such as the shared spectrum bands for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The interference that occurred on Wednesday was in one of these shared bands,” O'Grady explained.
BrianFM, a radio station situated in the South Island town of Blenheim that transmits around the island, claimed it had to resort to a backup system to continue broadcasting.
The station's founder, Andrew Jeffries, told Stuff, “We like to be, you know, pretty reliable and robust, and it certainly took us out and numerous others."
Matthew Harrison, managing director of Primo, described how a Royal Australian Navy warship’s military-grade radar caused a widespread disruption to New Zealand's internet and mobile services, triggering safety protocols. He humorously asked the Navy, "Where can we send the bill?”
