The presidents of 10 american airlines sounded the alarm this week to the authorities about the potential “chaos” that would represent the deployment of the technology of ultrafast 5G networks in the vicinity of airports, according to a letter obtained by the AFP.
“Immediate intervention is needed to prevent a major operational disruption to passengers, carriers, supply chains and the delivery of essential medical supplies,” they said two days before the 5G network went live.
This scenario made the american telephone companies suspend the deployment of this technology scheduled for this Wednesday in the vicinity of airports and the White House express your interest in seeking a solution to this matter.
What are the technical problems?
The airlines fear that the signals could interfere with the instruments that measure the altitude of an airplane, after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limited certain flights landing near 5G towers.
The Airlines for America association warned in a letter Monday that travel and shipping could experience “catastrophic disruptions” if the new C-band frequencies were brought into service within a range of 3.3 kilometers Where do the planes fly from?
Impact on flights
“On a day like last Sunday, more than 1,100 flights and 100,000 passengers they would be subject to cancellations, diversions and delays,” fear the presidents of these companies, including American Airlines, Delta or Southwest, but also the airline divisions of logistics giants such as FedEx and UPS.
“To be frank, the country’s trade will stop dead in its tracks,” they declared. “We write to urgently request that 5G be implemented as of January 19 anywhere except about 3.2 kilometers from airport runways, as defined by the FAA,” the federal aviation authority, says the letter.
ask the government for a solution
“Considering the short time remaining and the importance of this completely avoidable economic calamity, we respectfully request that you take all necessary measures for 5G to be deployed except when the towers are too close to airport runways,” they ask the US government, to the FAA and to the telecommunications agency, the FCC.
What do the phone companies say?
telecommunications companies Verizon and AT&T, which this Wednesday planned to activate their new 5G services, announced this Tuesday that they are going to delay their deployment near some US airports in order to avoid possible problems in air traffic.
In a statement, Verizon explained that it has voluntarily decided to “limit” its 5G network around airports, while AT&T said it has agreed to temporarily delay powering up a limited number of towers around certain airports.
“I want to thank Verizon and AT&T for agreeing to delay the rollout of 5G around key airports and continuing to work with the Department of Transportation for a safe rollout of 5G in this limited number of locations,” the US president said in a statement. .,Joe Biden.
What does the White House say?
The White House promised this Tuesday that it will continue working with the affected sectors to find a solution to the problems.
In her daily press conference, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed that the administration is in talks with the airline industry and telecommunications operators to find a solution that will allow it to maintain “the highest level of security” and ” minimize the disturbances” it may cause.
“We have the safest airspace in the world,” said Psaki, who said he understands what is at stake for both industries and insisted that a path that satisfies all parties can be found. He did emphasize, in any case, that “the main priority” is to maintain air safety for the transport of passengers and goods and minimize the negative effects that new technology may have on it.
Have flights been suspended?
Emirates, the large Dubai airline, suspended its flights to nine destinations in the United States on Wednesday, due to “concerns from an operational point of view”, linked to the deployment of the 5G network in some airports in the United States.
“Due to operational concerns related to the planned deployment of the 5G mobile network in some airports in the United States, Emirates will suspend its flights to (nine) destinations” in the country, the airline reported.
The measure came into force this Wednesday and will apply “until further order”, according to Emirates, which cites the nine airports: Boston, Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco and Seattle. The airline will continue to fly to New York, Los Angeles and Washington.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP, Efe and Bloomberg
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