US telecommunications giants Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc have both agreed with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to delay the upgrade of their services to 5G.
The two-week delay is due to “concerns that the 5G signal could interfere with the accuracy of an airplane’s radio altimeter, without other mitigations in place”, said the FAA.
“We look forward to using the additional time and space to reduce flight disruptions associated with this 5G deployment,” said FAA spokeswoman.
Altimeters are required for automated landings, while the FAA believes that rolling out the changes may upset air travel or safety.
The agreement means the companies will equip similar mitigations to those implemented in European countries, with the mitigations to be in approximately 50 airports for six months.
Verizon has to postpone the celebration of its spectrum upgrade that was due to unfold today but did not seem too disgruntled.
“We’ve agreed to a two-week delay which promises the certainty of bringing this nation our game-changing 5G network in January, delivered over America’s best and most reliable network,” it said.
In 2021, an auction sold the two phone providers the right to use “C-band” frequencies after a US$70bn purchase.
It will improve the ultra-fast 5G connectivity in certain areas as well as providing in-between performance over a wider range of areas, said American technology news website Verge.