US telecom firms press pause after pressure from aircraft manufacturers
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Two of the biggest American phone firms have agreed a government request to delay the rollout of 5G services after Boeing and Airbus, the world’s two biggest plane makers, became the latest group to warn that the spectrum could affect flight safety.
AT&T and Verizon initially rejected the delay idea, before reversing after US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made the request over the concerns.
Plane makers have warned that C-Band spectrum 5G wireless signals may interfere with sensitive aircraft electronics and could disrupt flights.
Chief executives had pushed back against a second delay request on January 2, having already put plans on hold since late last year, the BBC reports.
They had also offered to mitigate service around US airports for six months as a temporary safeguard, along a similar approach adopted in France.
The aviation industry and the FAA have raised concerns about potential interference of 5G with aircraft equipment like radio altitude meters.
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Appeal from aircraft manufacturers
Last month, the bosses of Airbus and Boeing made an appeal to Buttigieg in which they said “5G interference could adversely affect the ability of aircraft to safely operate” and urged him to postpone the rollout billed for January 5.
The letter cited research by trade group Airlines for America which found that if the FAA’s 5G rules had been in effect in 2019, about 345,000 passenger flights and 5,400 cargo flights would have faced delays, diversions or cancellations.
The phone companies both announced they had accepted the proposed two-week delay.
An AT&T spokeswoman said they had agreed to the request from Buttigieg, but said in a statement that “we know aviation safety and 5G can co-exist and we are confident further collaboration and technical assessment will allay any issues”.
The FAA thanked firms for the voluntary delay in a statement.
“We look forward to using the additional time and space to reduce flight disruptions associated with this 5G deployment,” it added.
