Australian Warship Accidentally Blocks New Zealand\u2019s Internet\/Radio Service
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An Australian navy warship is taking the spotlight away from an event supposed to celebrate sister city relationship between Canberra and Wellington after it appears it accidentally blocked wireless internet and radio services in New Zealand. HMAS Canberra<\/em>, one of the Royal Australian Navy\u2019s largest ships, was sailing to Wellington to participate in the Wellington\u2013Canberra sister city celebrations, an event which is aimed at fostering collaborations across areas like tourism, education, and creative sectors.\u00a0<\/p>\n The hallmark of this year\u2019s celebration was expected to be the Freedom of Entry parade through Wellington. In the parade, over 300 Australian and New Zealand defense force personnel were on Saturday marching through the streets of Wellington.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Wednesday, however, the 230-meter Canberra<\/em> stole the spotlight after its sophisticated navigation radar interfered with 5GHz wireless access points \u2014 devices that bridge wired and wireless networks \u2014 in regions on both New Zealand’s North and South islands, according to media outlet ABC. The New Zealand Defense Force notified their Australian counterparts of the blocking in the Taranaki and Marlborough regions, prompting the problem to be rectified. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOn becoming aware, HMAS Canberra<\/em> changed frequencies rectifying the interference. There are no ongoing disruptions,\u201d said an Australia Department of Defense spokesperson.<\/p>\n Wireless internet and mobile telecommunications company Primo was among those affected. The firm\u2019s MD Matthew Harrison, termed the widespread disruption caused by Canberra <\/em>as a dramatic example of just how fragile New Zealand\u2019s spectrum environment.<\/p>\n \u201cThis wasn\u2019t just a blip. It was full-scale, military-grade radar triggering built-in safety protocols designed to protect airspace. It rolled across our network in sync with the ship\u2019s movement. We\u2019ve never seen anything like it here before,\u201d he wrote in a post on LinkedIn. \u201cIt\u2019s not every day a warship takes your gear offline.\u201d<\/p>\n Commissioned in 2014, Canberra <\/em>is the flagship of the Australian navy. The ship is capable of transporting more than 100 ground vehicles, four landing craft, up to 18 helicopters and more than 1,000 troops, in addition to its crew of more than 400.<\/p>\n Its presence during the sister city relationship celebration was meant to cement the friendship between the two countries\u2019 defense forces that has endured for over a century. Both famously fought together as the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I. The members of that corps were known as \u201cAnzacs.\u201d \t
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