The airline industry is raising the stakes in a showdown led by AT&T and Verizon over plans to launch new 5 G wireless service this week, warning that thousands of flights could be delayed or grounded if the rollout takes place near major airports.
The CEOs of the nation's largest airlines say that interference from the wireless service on a key instrument on planes is worse than they originally thought.
The President's Office said in a letter to federal officials, including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who previously took the airlines side in the matter, that the nation's commerce will grind to a halt unless the service is blocked near major airports.
AT&T T and Verizon VZ plan to activate their 5 G wireless service Wednesday after two previous delays from the original plan for an early December rollout.
The new high-speed 5 G service uses a segment of the radio spectrum that is close to that used by altimeters, which are devices that measure the height of aircraft above the ground.
Two weeks ago, the companies struck a deal with the Federal Aviation Administration to delay the service for two more weeks and reduce the power of 5 G transmitters near airports. The delay ends Wednesday.
AT&T and Verizon say their equipment won't interfere with aircraft electronics, and that the technology is safe and is being used in many other countries. Critics of the airline industry say carriers had several years to upgrade altimeters that could be subject to interference from 5 G.
The CEOs of 10 passenger and cargo airlines, including American AAL, Delta DAL, United UAL, and Southwest LUV, said 5 G will be more disruptive than originally thought because the dozens of large airports that were to have buffer zones to prevent 5 G interference with aircraft, and because those restrictions won't be limited to times when visibility is poor.
Unless our major hubs are cleared to fly, the vast majority of the traveling and shipping public will be grounded. More than 1,100 flights and 100,000 passengers would be subject to delays, cancellations or delays on a day like yesterday, according to the CEOs.