US calls for new 5G delay to study interference with planes

US authorities have asked telecoms operators AT&T and Verizon to delay their already-postponed launch of 5G networks for up to two weeks, amid uncertainty about possible interference with vital flight safety equipment.

The commissioning of high-speed mobile broadband technology, initially scheduled for December 5, had already been postponed and was due to take place on January 5. But European aircraft manufacturers Airbus and American Boeing recently expressed their "concern" because of the possible interference of 5G with radio altimeters, the devices that airplanes use to measure altitude.

United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and the chief of the Federal Aviation Administration, Steve Dickson, They made their request in a letter sent Friday to AT&T and Verizon, two of the nation’s largest telecommunications operators.

In the official letter they asked the companies to "continue to pause the introduction of commercial C-band service", the frequency range used for 5G, "for a short additional period no more than two weeks after the implementation date currently scheduled for January 5".

And they also ensured that the service could start "as planned in January, with certain exceptions around priority airports", and want "find a solution that ensures that 5G C-band and aviation will coexist" by way of "safe in the United States.

"We received the letter from the government after 6:00 p.m. on New Years Eve. We are examining it"Rich Young, a Verizon spokesman, said in response in an email to AFP.

AT&T also indicated that it received the letter and is reviewing it.

Last February, Verizon and AT&T received authorization to begin using the 3.7 to 3.8 GHz frequency bands on December 5, after obtaining licenses worth tens of billions of dollars. But after Airbus and Boeing concerns about possible interference were disclosed, the launch date was pushed back to January.

The FAA requested more information on the instruments and issued directives limiting the use of altimeters in certain situations, prompting airline concerns about possible costs.

When Verizon and AT&T wrote to federal authorities in November to confirm their intention to begin implementing 5G in January, they said they would take additional precautions beyond those required by US law until July 2022, while the FAA completes its investigation.

The conflict between 5G networks and aircraft equipment prompted French authorities in February to recommend that passengers turn off their cell phones with that technology on airplanes.

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