Last Updated on 21/12/2021 by Sanskriti
The heads of the world’s two largest plane manufacturers have urged the US government to postpone the launch of new 5G phone services.
Top executives from Boeing and Airbus sent a statement warning that the technology might have “an enormous negative impact on the aviation industry.”
Concerns have been made in the past that 5G wireless in the C-Band frequency might interfere with airplane equipment.
AT&T and Verizon, two of the largest US telecommunications companies, are expected to launch 5G services on January 5th.
In a joint letter to US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Dave Calhoun, and Jeffrey Knittel.Boeing and Americas said, “5G interference could adversely affect the ability of aircraft to safely operate.”
According to data conducted by trade organization Airlines for America, nearly 345,000 passenger flights and 5,400 cargo aircraft would have experienced delays, diversions, or cancellations if the FAA’s 5G guidelines had been in place in 2019.
Concerns have been expressed by the aviation sector and the FAA concerning 5G’s possible interference with sensitive aircraft equipment such as radio altitude meters.
“Airbus and Boeing have been working with other aviation industry stakeholders in the US to understand potential 5G interference with radio altimeters,” Airbus said in a statement.
“An Aviation Safety Proposal to mitigate potential risks has been submitted for consideration to the US Department of Transportation.”
The FAA published airworthiness directions earlier this month, warning that 5G interference might cause flight delays and promising further information before the January 5 launch date.
AT&T and Verizon said in November that they would delay the commercial debut of C-band cellular service by a month, to 5 January, and that they would take preventive measures to limit interference. Aviation industry organizations have complained that the safeguards are insufficient, and Boeing and Airbus have proposed a counterproposal that would restrict cellular communications near airports and other important sites.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby stated last week that the FAA’s 5G regulations will prohibit the use of radio altitude meters at around 40 of the country’s busiest airports.
The CTIA, a trade association for the wireless sector in the United States, has declared 5G to be safe, accusing the aviation industry of scaremongering and misrepresenting data.
Attwell Baker, CTIA chief executive Meredith said in a blog post last month.“A delay will cause real harm. Pushing back deployment one year would subtract $50bn in economic growth, just as our nation recovers and rebuilds from the pandemic,”
