The US government reportedly asked companies to postpone the deployment of 5G wireless technology due to aviation safety concerns
US officials reportedly said the towers that transmit commercial 5G signals over the C-band of the wireless spectrum may interfere with aircraft signals, asking to delay the rollout of the new service.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Steve Dickson sent a letter to the heads of AT&T and Verizon, asking for a delay of no more than two weeks as part of a “proposal as a near-term solution for advancing the co-existence of 5G deployment in the C-Band and safe flight operations,” Reuters reported.
“We ask that your companies continue to pause introducing commercial C-Band service for an additional short period of no more than two weeks beyond the currently scheduled deployment date of January 5,” the letter was quoted as saying.
AT&T and Verizon confirmed to Reuters that they had received the letter and were reviewing it.
The news came after Airlines for America (A4A), a union whose members include American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta, asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday to postpone the deployment of the C-band spectrum planned on January 5.
“Aircraft will not be able to rely on radio altimeters for numerous flight procedures and thus will not be able to land at certain airports,” the group wrote.
The A4A, the Aerospace Industries Association, and CTIA, a wireless communications industry union, said last week that they were working together to “identify the specific areas of concern for aviation.” The A4A later said the issue has not been resolved, as of December 30.
