Fears of disruption to the transport and shipping sectors in the event of operating the fifth generation networks (AFP)
heads warned American airlines Monday, from catastrophic disruptions in the transport and shipping sectors in the event of operation Fifth generation networks Wednesday, as scheduled, without setting controls for transmitting stations located near United States airports.
Emirates Airlines also announced today the suspension of its flights to American destinations, starting from Wednesday, due to the operation of the fifth generation networks in some airports.
The company said in a notice on its website that the decision comes due to operational concerns related to the planned operation of 5G mobile services in the United States, adding that among the destinations are Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Miami, Orlando, San Francisco and Seattle.
Verizon and AT&T have postponed the launch of the new 5G C-Band service twice due to warnings from airlines and aircraft manufacturers concerned that the new communications system would interfere with devices used by aircraft to measure altimeters.
“We are writing to you urgently to request that 5G networks operate everywhere in the country except within approximately two miles of airport runways, as defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FDI) on January 19, 2022,” the company chiefs said in a letter. .
The letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and government officials warned of an “economic catastrophe” if Verizon and AT&T continued to deploy the new technology before necessary upgrades and changes to flight equipment were made.
And the Federal Aviation Administration announced on Sunday that it had given its approval to operate some transmitting stations within areas in which the fifth generation will be deployed, as “up to 48 of the airports most affected by frequency interference out of 88” were secured.
The Federal Aviation Administration warned on January 6 that 5G services may still cause disruption during flights.
Airlines also fear that not covering all airports with the procedures might cause major disruptions, including stopping thousands of flights, which might halt commercial traffic in the country.
The letter called on authorities to “take whatever action is necessary to ensure that 5G is not deployed when the towers are too close to airport runways, until the FAA can determine how to do so safely and without catastrophic disruption.”
The letter was signed by the chief executives of the airlines “American”, “United”, “Delta” and “Southwest”, as well as shipping giants “FedEx” and “UPS”.
Verizon and AT&T have won contracts worth regarding $80 billion to operate 5G networks in the United States, but the project has been delayed twice due to warnings from airlines and aircraft manufacturers.
In the event that no agreement is reached with the airlines or the federal authorities freeze the work of telecom companies, it is scheduled to start operating the fifth generation service nationwide on January 19.
(AFP, The New Arab)