Current:Home > Contact-usBoeing and Airbus urge a delay in 5G wireless service over safety concerns-LoTradeCoin
Boeing and Airbus urge a delay in 5G wireless service over safety concerns
View Date:2024-12-23 21:09:09
The heads of the two largest commercial jet makers, Boeing and Airbus, are warning against a plan to deploy new 5G wireless networks starting next month, saying interference from the upgrade could pose a danger to vital aircraft systems.
In a statement emailed to NPR, Boeing said the aerospace industry was "focused on fully evaluating and addressing the potential for 5G interference with radio altimeters."
"We are collaborating with aviation authorities, government leaders, airlines, and industry groups to ensure the continued operational safety of aircraft throughout the aviation system worldwide," it said.
According to Reuters, Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun and Airbus Americas CEO Jeffrey Knittel have called for postponing a planned Jan. 5 rollout of the new technology by AT&T and Verizon Communications.
"5G interference could adversely affect the ability of aircraft to safely operate," the executives wrote in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, adding that this could have "an enormous negative impact on the aviation industry."
The companies have expressed concern that 5G, which operates on a frequency close to that used by aircraft systems such as radio altimeters, could cause interference. They've warned of possible flight delays in snowstorms and low visibility if 5G is deployed.
Last year, the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, or RTCA, a nonprofit that studies aircraft electronic systems, issued a report concluding that interference from 5G was a legitimate concern and potential safety hazard.
And earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration issued airworthiness directives echoing those concerns.
"[R]adio altimeters cannot be relied upon to perform their intended function if they experience interference from wireless broadband operations," the FAA said, adding it would require "limitations prohibiting certain operations requiring radio altimeter data when in the presence of 5G C-Band interference" for both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.
Airlines are also worried. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly told a Senate hearing last week that the industry's top near-term concern "is the deployment of 5G."
In November, AT&T and Verizon delayed the launch of C-Band wireless service by a month, and in an effort to break the stalemate, they also reportedly offered to limit power levels emanating from 5G towers for six months to give regulators a chance to assess whether the new technology would cause problems for aircraft.
A version of this story originally appeared in the Morning Edition live blog.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Jack Del Rio leaving Wisconsin’s staff after arrest on charge of operating vehicle while intoxicated
- Reneé Rapp says she was body-shamed as the star of Broadway's 'Mean Girls'
- Kansas judge seals court documents in car chase that ended in officer’s shooting death
- Climate change hits emperor penguins: Chicks are dying and extinction looms, study finds
- Denzel Washington teases retirement — and a role in 'Black Panther 3'
- Railroads resist joining safety hotline because they want to be able to discipline workers
- Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani has UCL tear, won't pitch for rest of 2023 season
- 4 arrested in twin newborn Amber Alert case in Michigan; many questions remain unanswered
- Judge sets date for 9/11 defendants to enter pleas, deepening battle over court’s independence
- From Ramaswamy bashing to UFOs, the unhinged GOP debate was great TV, but scary politics
Ranking
- Why Dolly Parton Is a Fan of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's Little Love Affair
- Ukraine marks Independence Day and vows to keep fighting Russia as it remembers the fallen
- Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness Shares Update on Self-Care Journey After Discussing Health Struggles
- Drug cartels are sharply increasing use of bomb-dropping drones, Mexican army says
- RHOBH's Erika Jayne Reveals Which Team She's on Amid Kyle Richards, Dorit Kemsley Feud
- Ukraine marks Independence Day and vows to keep fighting Russia as it remembers the fallen
- Angels' Shohei Ohtani's torn UCL creates a cloud over upcoming free agency
- Anthony Richardson's potential, pitfalls on display in Colts' preseason win vs. Eagles
Recommendation
-
Taylor Swift touches down in Kansas City as Chiefs take on Denver Broncos
-
Russia's General Armageddon reportedly dismissed after vanishing in wake of Wagner uprising
-
North West Recreates Kanye West’s Classic Polo Look During Tokyo Trip With Mom Kim Kardashian
-
San Antonio shooter wounds 2 officers during car pursuit, police say
-
Taylor Swift's Dad Scott Swift Photobombs Couples Pic With Travis Kelce
-
The 6 most shocking moments and revelations from HBO's new Bishop Sycamore documentary
-
Horoscopes Today, August 23, 2023
-
Everyone experiences intrusive thoughts. Here's how to deal with them.