Airline Lobby Group Asks for Delay in New 5G Wireless Service

The airline industry’s chief lobby group, Airlines for America (A4A), is asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to delay next week’s implementation of the new 5G wireless service, citing potential disruptions of thousands of flights.

The nationwide deployment, including at many airports, is scheduled to go live on Thursday, January 5, according to Reuters News Agency.

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The group wants the new service from Verizon and AT&T to be postponed near airports in major cities – Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Boston and Seattle.

"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, noting that potential interference from 5G could "jeopardize the function of critical aircraft safety systems, which in turn threatens to divert or cancel thousands of flights" daily.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in November of 2021 issued a special information bulletin to the aviation industry warning of potential issues with 5G telecommunications, saying that airplane manufacturers, operators and pilots should “be prepared for the possibility that interference from 5G transmitters and other technology could cause certain safety equipment to malfunction, requiring them to take mitigating action that could affect flight operations.”

According to Reuters, A4A is seeking a decision by Noon EST on Monday, January 3, in its request for an emergency petition to postpone implementation. If not, it will "seek judicial or other relief" to avoid "immediate and unacceptable safety risks."

CTIA, the trade group representing the wireless communications industry, said 5G has been proven safe and is already being used in nearly 40 countries.