New 5G frequencies deployed in the United States without massive flight cancellations

telephone operators AT&T Y Verizon began rolling out new frequency bands for 5G technology in the United States on Wednesday, causing some flight cancellations but not the major disruption that airlines feared due to possible interference with aircraft instruments.

According to the specialized website Flightaware, about 261 flights that were to take off or land at a US airport were canceled. The number may increase on the day, but it is lower than that of Tuesday and also that the 538 flights were canceled the previous Wednesday.

Some companies based outside US canceled long-haul flights to certain airports, including Emirates, Air India, ANA and Japan Airlines.

The latter two initially indicated that they had received information about possible interference between the altimeters of their Boeing 777s and 5G frequencies. However, they later received another notice from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) assuring them that there were no more problems, so they plan to resume their normal program from Thursday.

AT&T Y Verizon invested tens of billions of dollars at the beginning of 2021 to acquire the rights to use the new frequency bands for 5G. But then the airline sector expressed concern that these frequencies, close to those used by aircraft altimeters, could interfere with those instruments that are important for landings under certain weather conditions.

The FAA recently demanded adjustments and the heads of 10 airlines on Monday called on authorities to intervene “immediately” to avoid “a major disruption” to air traffic.

Both operators, who have already twice delayed the deployment of the new frequencies, on Tuesday agreed to temporarily delay the activation of cell phone towers near the runways of certain airports. In any case, they continued to introduce 5G in the rest of the country.

The FEW indicated on Wednesday that it had given the green light for three more radio altimeters, thus allowing about 62% of the U.S. commercial aircraft fleet to land with the instrument in case of poor visibility at airports near areas where the new technology was deployed. .

“Flights to certain airports can still be affected,” the agency added, however, pointing out that it is still working with aircraft manufacturers.

“While there is still work to be done between all parties,” the carriers’ gesture “represents an important step toward a permanent solution,” says the federation representing U.S. airlines, A4A.

AT&T confirmed to AFP on Wednesday that it had introduced the new frequency bands, which increase the speed and scope of the existing network, in eight major metropolises in the country.

Verizon chief Hans Vestberg, for his part, indicated to the CNBC network that the deployment of the new frequency bands had been launched at more than 1,700 locations.

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