The Biden Administration reported that the companies Verizon and AT&T agreed to postpone the activation of the 5G network in key airports in the United States to avoid delays and cancellations of flights as well as interruption in the flow of goods, as anticipated by the main airlines in United States.
“I want to thank Verizon and AT&T for agreeing to delay the deployment of the 5G network around key airports and continuing to work with the Department of Transportation for a safe 5G deployment in this limited set of locations”, indicates a written statement from the White House sent this Tuesday afternoon.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, reported that the measure will allow the activation of the 90% of wireless towers.
“This agreement will prevent potentially devastating disruptions in the transportation of passengers, cargo operations and our economic recovery, while allowing for more than 90% of wireless tower deployment as planned. This agreement protects aviation security and allows aviation operations to continue without significant interruptions and will bring more high-speed internet options to millions of Americans, “said the White House.
This Monday, 10 from the largest US airlines including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines, sent a letter to Biden, as well as the Department of Transportation of the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) to alert them of the “catastrophic” effects of the implementation of the broadband system in air services and in the economy in general.
Activation could affect aircraft altimeters and considerably hinder low visibility operations. Basically, telcos won’t be able to transmit 5G signals within 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) around airport runways.
AT&T and Verizon expressed dissatisfaction
Despite the agreement signed by the White House, the enthusiasm is not the same on the part of the companies of telecommunications.
“As the main wireless service provider in the country, we have voluntarily decided to limit our 5G network around airports,” said a Verizon spokesman in statements quoted by USA Today.
Incidentally, the company telephony questioned the delay of the FAA and the airlines to catch up and resolve the matter. “The Federal Aviation Administration and national airlines have not been able to fully resolve 5G navigation around airports, despite being secure and fully operational in more than 40 countries”, Verizon complained.
AT&T expressed itself in similar terms.
“At our sole discretion, we have voluntarily agreed to temporarily defer activation on a number limited number of towers around certain airport runways to continue working with the airline industry and the FAA to provide additional information on the deployment of the 5G network, as they have not used the two years they had to responsibly plan the deployment,” a spokesperson said. from AT&T to the referred medium.