Mobile phone operators AT&T and Verizon will delay the deployment of 5G around “certain airports” in the United States, in order to avoid the potential chaos feared by the actors of air transport, without however completely eliminating the risk of disruptions in the American sky.
AT&T and Verizon were due to activate the new super-fast mobile internet technology nationwide on Wednesday, but the companies decided to delay amid concerns from the US aviation authority, the FAA.
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The institution denounces possible interference between the frequencies used by 5G and those used by on-board instruments essential for the landing of planes in certain weather conditions and has demanded adjustments.
Intervene “immediately” to prevent disruptions
The bosses of ten air transport companies had called on the authorities on Monday to intervene "immediately" in order to prevent "a major disruption" in passenger traffic, freight, production lines and drug deliveries.
President Joe Biden thanked the two operators in a statement for this decision, which he said avoids “potentially devastating” disruptions to air traffic while allowing the activation of the vast majority of cell phone towers planned for 5G, essential element for the competitiveness of the country.
Still, the deadline is struggling to pass.
The FAA and the country's airlines "have not been able to solve the problem of 5G around airports even though it has been deployed safely and effectively in more than 40 other countries", pointed out a door. -say Verizon.
The issue began to escalate in November, after the FAA issued a stakeholder bulletin requesting details of radio altimeters, instruments that measure the distance between the aircraft and the ground that can be essential in the event of a poor visibility.
Frequencies too close
Certain frequencies allocated for several tens of billions of dollars at the beginning of 2021 to AT&T and Verizon for the deployment of their 5G, which range from 3.7 to 3.98 gigahertz (GHz), are indeed close to those used by these radars, which operate in the 4.2 to 4.4 GHz spectrum.
If there is no risk of direct interference, the transmit power of the 5G antennas or some of the upward-pointing emissions could cause problems for some altimeters that may be interfered with by these nearby frequencies.
For the president of the American agency in charge of telecoms (FCC), Jessica Rosenworcel, the deployment of 5G “can coexist in complete safety with aeronautical technologies”.
“No case of jamming has ever been reported”, relativizes a French operator, giving the example of Asia where the frequencies are even closer, almost glued.
“In Japan, their 5G band is 4.5-4.6 GHz.
Without taking the subject lightly, we do not worry.
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It is now "essential" that the FAA complete its assessment and resolve any outstanding concerns "carefully and expeditiously," it said in a statement.
Flight cancellations as a precaution
The FAA expects the suspension of the deployment to reduce the bulk of the cancellations and delays feared by the companies due to the precautions taken but still anticipates consequences, according to industry officials.
40 of the 88 US airports most directly affected by the risk of interference are still subject to preventive restrictions.
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Delta also said Tuesday evening “to prepare for the possibility of weather-related cancellations due to the deployment of new 5G services around dozens of American airports as of Wednesday”.
United Airlines had recently stressed that it was still awaiting details to understand the impact on its operations.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a few companies based outside the United States, including Japan Airlines, Emirates and Air India, had already canceled certain flights to the country, pending progress in this file and to guard against possible accidents.
