Airlines continue to warn against the danger 5G poses to some flights

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Some of the major cellular carriers are set to roll out new 5G frequencies starting early next year. But some airlines continue to warn against the implementation of this new spectrum, as it has the potential to interfere with some necessary flight equipment.

According to a new report from Reuters, United Airlines Chief Executive Scott Kirby spoke on the dangers of this new spectrum. This occured earlier this week after a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing.

Kirby insisted that both Verizon and AT&T delay their plans to install this new spectrum of frequencies (called C-Band). The reason? It could cause delays, diversions, or even cancellations on about 4% of daily flights in the U.S.

Just last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued its own warning against the use of certain flight tools at low altitudes where this particular 5G signal is present.

The issue at hand is that the new 5G frequencies have the potential to interfere with radio altimeters which run on a similar frequency. The two companies had previously pushed back their plans to install the new spectrum after this potential issue was brought to their attention back in November.

It’s important to note that the FCC has already said that well-designed radio altimeters shouldn’t receive any interference from the new C-Band spectrum.

As a result, several former FCC chiefs have expressed their concerns over the current 5G stance. The chiefs say that the FCC and the FAA need to work together to come to a real conclusion, instead of offering contradicting findings that have the potential to cause unnecessary uproar and fear in the aviation space.

Both Verizon and AT&T agreed to delay their installment of this new spectrum until January 5. So far, the FAA has issued directives that hope to stop any potential interference by 5G C-Band.

However, some airlines don’t seem to think that’s enough. We’ll have to wait and see if any more changes come ahead of the rollout of C-Band 5G in January.

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