The players in the aviation sector in the United States, who are worried about the consequences of 5G on planes due to possible disruptions to on-board instruments, obtained a new deadline, until January 19, for the deployment on Monday evening. new frequency bands.
This agreement “is a significant step in the right direction,” greeted US President Joe Biden in a statement Tuesday morning.
American airlines, through their federation A4A, threatened to sue telecom giants AT&T and Verizon in order to obtain this delay and technical changes in the deployment of the latest generation of ultra-fast mobile internet.
According to representatives of the airline industry, a late draft agreement has been reached first with AT&T, then with Verizon, to delay again for two weeks the implementation of new 5G frequency bands.
An AT&T spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that it had reached an agreement with the Ministry of Transport and “accept an additional two weeks for the deployment of the service”.
While the American aviation regulator (FAA) is worried about possible interference with aircraft onboard devices, the entry into service of 5G, initially scheduled for December 5, had already been postponed and was due to take place on Wednesday 5 January.
But on Friday, US Transportation Minister Pete Buttigieg and FAA boss Steve Dickson asked the two operators for a new suspension, up to two weeks.
AT&T and Verizon initially refused to respond favorably to this request.
During the “two-week break” now scheduled, changes made to facilities at airports in particular will have to be reviewed by the air regulatory authority, the FAA, “to ensure that they meet all the safety requirements for air carriers. flights “.
The 3.7-3.8 GHz frequency bands were awarded to AT&T and Verizon in February 2021 following a bid for tens of billions of dollars.
Faced with concerns about potential interference problems with devices measuring altitude in airplanes, the FAA had issued new directives limiting the use of these aircraft in certain situations.
But American airlines have protested against the potential costs incurred, and called on the authorities to quickly find a solution.
“We know that aviation safety and 5G can coexist and we are confident that continuing collaboration and technical assessments will resolve these issues,” said AT&T.
In December, the European aircraft manufacturers Airbus and American Boeing had also expressed their “concern” about possible disturbances on the onboard instruments of their aircraft by 5G, in a letter to the US Department of Transport.
The subject is also worrying in France, where the authorities recommend switching off 5G mobiles on board devices, to avoid potentially problematic “signal jamming” during the landing phases, in particular.
vmt-aue / jum / bt
AT&T CORPORATION
VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS
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