Federal regulators say Verizon and AT&T will delay part of their 5G rollouts near airports to give airlines more time to make sure the equipment on their planes is protected from wireless signal interference, but the airline industry Not happy with the deal.
An airline industry trade group said federal regulators are “hurried” to replace equipment on planes under pressure from telecommunications companies.
Federal Aviation Administration said on Friday that wireless companies have agreed to delay some of their use of the C-band segment of radio spectrum until July 2023.
“We believe we have identified a path that will continue to enable aviation and 5G C-band wireless to coexist safely,” said FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolan.
However, aviation groups state that C-band service may interfere with radio altimeters – instruments used to measure the altitude of an aircraft above the ground. Pilots use altimeters to land in bad weather when visibility is low.
Nolan said aircraft most susceptible to interference – small, so-called regional airline planes – should be retrofitted with filters or new altimeters by the end of this year. Components to retrofit large aircraft used by major airlines should be available by July 2023, when wireless companies hope to run 5G networks in urban areas “with minimal restrictions”, he said.
Airlines for America, a trade group for the largest US carrier, said the FAA had not approved the necessary upgrades and that the manufacturers had not yet produced the parts.
“It is not at all clear that carriers can arbitrarily meet deadlines,” trade group CEO Nicolas Calio said in a letter to Nolan. He added that “the hasty approach to avionics modifications amid pressure from telecommunications companies puts safety at risk,” and warned that airline service could be disrupted if replacement parts are not ready in time.
Verizon said the agreement would let the company lift the voluntary limit on its 5G rollout around airports “in a phased approach” over the coming months. AT&T said it agreed to take “a more tailored approach” to controlling signal strength near runways so airlines have more time to retrieve equipment.
Friday’s developments were the latest in a long-running dispute between airlines and wireless companies and their respective regulators, the FAA and the Federal Communications Commission, which determined that C-band service posed no risk to aircraft.
Verizon and AT&T spent $68 billion (about Rs 5,30,140 crore) between them in the FCC auction of 5G spectrum last year. The companies began activating the new 5G network in January, but due to concerns raised by the FAA and airlines, agreed to delay powering some towers for six months until July 5.