By Jo Ling Kent and Ahiza García-Hodges -
NBC News
Starting on January 19, AT&T and Verizon will resume their expansion of 5G wireless service after completing a two-week suspension of operations at the request of the Department of Transportation.
The companies would advance with the expansion from January 5, but the airlines requested the intervention of the Government, claiming that 5G could interfere with radio altimeters, equipment that pilots use to land in adverse weather conditions.
The concern was that the air wave spectrum used by the new 5G service, known as the C-band, would collide with the signals used by radio altimeters.
The aviation industry fears that 5G cell phones will interfere with its operations
Dec. 19, 202101: 47
Both companies initially rejected the government request in early January and would move forward, but later announced the two-week delay.
The operators also
pledged to reduce the strength of their networks near airports
to allow regulators to carefully study potential interference in aeronautics.
Fifth-generation wireless technology, often referred to as 5G, promises ultra-fast internet and additional bandwidth - features that technologists say could usher in a new era of internet-connected technology.
[3G will be deactivated in 2022 and may leave the most vulnerable, including many Latinos, without a signal]
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Monday that talks between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), major airlines and mobile phone operators are "positive," adding that federal officials are making "Everything possible to make the most of each day" granted by the temporary hiatus.
"I can say that
there is a lot of technical exchange every day, every hour
, to try to gather the information that supports the analysis, that supports the engineering, that allows that security work to happen," Buttigieg said in an interview.
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Before the agreed delay, Buttigieg and the FAA director contacted the communications companies and informed them that there would be travel disruptions as flights would be canceled or diverted to reduce potential
safety
risks
.
Buttigieg noted that the FAA does not plan to ask for another delay and has taken "a conservative approach" citing a "zero tolerance level or any greater danger to flights, when it comes to certifying any equipment."
[The aviation industry fears that 5G cell phones will interfere with its operations]
A source familiar with the talks, who was not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed Buttigieg's statement and the progress of the negotiations, adding that major airlines expect the rollout of 5G technology to come in waves in selected markets.
The group representing the wireless telecommunications industry, CTIA, also confirmed that Verizon and AT&T are preparing to turn on 5G transmitters on January 19.
Workers install equipment on a 5G cell phone tower in Salt Lake City, Utah, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022.Bloomberg / Bloomberg via Getty Images
"As part of this agreement, wireless service providers agreed to implement a temporary set of measures that collectively represent
the strictest protection for air traffic anywhere in the world
," CTIA communications chief Nick said in a statement. Ludlum.
In recent days, the FAA published a list of 50 airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Los Angeles International Airport, which will implement a temporary 5G buffer zone for six months.
"We are grateful to the FAA for its work in putting in place a series of mitigations for affected airports to help
reduce the inevitable flight delays, diversions and cancellations,
" said Airlines for America, the trade association representing major commercial and cargo airlines, in a statement sent via email.