Airline executives along with aviation officials raised the alarm over the rollout of the new 5G wireless service in early January. According to them, this new service can cause widespread flight disruptions.
The new wireless signal can interfere with aviation equipment including the ones on planes and helicopters that track aircraft altitude. This can prevent landings in situations with poor visibility. Also, aviation experts are concerned that this can result in widespread diversions, delays, and even cancelations.
Unfortunately, industry groups are struggling to have an agreement with the regulators and White House officials before its launch on January 5. In response, AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc both offered power reductions but the industry calls such measures “inadequate”.
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly testified on Wednesday in a hearing that discussed 5G wireless service. He said that “If you were to ask us what our number one concern is in the near term, it is the deployment of 5G”.
Discussions are still ongoing with the issue. It was reported that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, and White House officials from the National Economic Council had a meeting on Wednesday regarding the matter.
5G Can Make it Difficult to Land in Low-Visibility Situations
The 5G signals are going in airwaves near the ones used by radar altimeters. Radar altimeters are the ones that provide the altitude to planes as it bounces radio waves to the ground. According to tests conducted by the aviation industry, 5G can make it hazardous to land in bad weather conditions. According to Airlines for America, the 5G service could potentially disrupt 350,000 flights annually.
However, mobile providers argue that 5G signals have separate frequencies from the ones used by the altimeters. For Nick Ludlum, the Senior vice president of CTIA, a trade group that includes AT&T and Verizon, “The aviation industry’s fear-mongering relies on completely discredited information and deliberate distortions of facts”.
Ludlum also added that 5G operates safely in almost 40 countries around the world. Plus, Ludlum said that “US airlines fly in and out of these countries every day”.
