US airline group seeks 5G wireless deployment delay near airports

A US trade group representing major passenger and cargo airlines asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday to halt deployment of new 5G wireless service around many airports, warning thousands of flights could be disrupted. AT&T and Verizon Communications are set on Jan. 5 to deploy C-Band spectrum 5G wireless service that they won in an $80 billion government auction. The petition from industry group Airlines for America seeks a deployment delay near numerous U.S. airports including ones in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Boston and Seattle. The aviation industry and the FAA have raised significant concerns that 5G might interfere with sensitive aircraft electronics like radio altimeters, which could delay or divert flights. “Aircraft will not be able to rely on radio altimeters for numerous flight procedures and thus will not be able to land at certain airports,” the group said in its emergency FCC petition. It said wireless interference will “jeopardize the function of critical aircraft safety systems, which in turn threatens to divert or cancel thousands of flights” daily. It said this would disrupt “millions of passenger reservations” along with flight crew schedules and global supply chains. The petition seeks an FCC decision by noon EST Monday or the group warned it will “seek judicial or other relief” to avoid “immediate and unacceptable safety risks.”<br/>