New York (CNN Business) Attempts to roll out enhanced mobile services across the United States have been a bit of a mess. The aviation industry and transportation regulators are concerned that new 5G antennas will interfere with a key type of aircraft altimeter, which is essential for landing planes in bad weather. But wireless carriers and telecom regulators say there’s nothing to fear.
Authorities have been at a stalemate for weeks. The situation culminated this week with some major international airlines canceling some U.S. flights after regulators, telecom giants and airlines missed an agreed-upon deadline. AT&T and Verizon are again delaying plans to turn on new 5G antennas near certain airports. What is a regulator? still Hash the solution. And much remains unknown.
Emirates Airline’s Sir Tim Clark told CNN on Wednesday that the airline was not aware of some of the potential problems with the 5G rollout until yesterday morning, adding that the situation had not previously been identified in his aviation industry. He said it was one of the “most delinquent and totally irresponsible” situations he had ever seen. career.
Here’s everything we know and don’t know about this case.
What exactly is the problem?
Telecommunications companies are deploying Over the past few years, 5G networks have spread to various locations across the United States, enabling next-generation cellular data speeds. But on Wednesday, Verizon and AT&T turned on their C-band 5G networks. This is a critical set of radio frequencies that greatly powers the Internet as we know it.
Unfortunately, the C-band is near the frequency band used by aircraft radar altimeters. The altimeter is an instrument that tells the pilot how high the aircraft is above the ground, and is important for landing the aircraft in low visibility conditions.
Last year, the Federal Communications Commission auctioned off C-band spectrum to U.S. wireless carriers, selling it for $81 billion.
But airlines have warned that C-band technology could have dire consequences for transport and the wider economy over concerns it could interfere with radar altimeters used by pilots to land in low visibility conditions. . (Airlines estimate there will be 1,000 groundings each day after deployment).
On Tuesday, Emirates, Air India, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa and British Airways announced changes to some flights due to the issue. Added some flights and changed aircraft. International airlines appeared to have been caught by surprise due to the length of long-haul flights and had to act quickly.
Domestic airlines also said they were monitoring the situation closely.
“This comes as the White House reached agreements with AT&T and Verizon yesterday,” industry group Airlines for America said in a statement Wednesday. [to delay 5G deployment at major airports], thousands of planes take off and land safely at airports across the country. ”
In its own statement, the FAA said it had cleared more aircraft to safely fly near 5G towers, but “operations at some airports may still be affected.”
“Even with these approvals, operations at some airports may still be affected,” the FAA said. “The FAA also continues to work with manufacturers to understand how radar altimeter data is used in other flight control systems. Passengers should check with their airlines for the latest flight schedules. there is.”
United Airlines said Wednesday it expected “minor disruptions” but was “pleased that the Biden administration has reached a compromise with AT&T and Verizon to avoid mass cancellations.”
What is being done about it?
Transportation regulators are already concerned that the versions of 5G scheduled to be switched on could interfere with instruments on some aircraft, and reassurances from federal communications regulators and wireless carriers are on the rise. Nevertheless, many airline industry groups shared that concern.
Aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus weighed in as well, warning Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a December letter that the rollout of 5G would result in interference that could “adversely impact the ability of aircraft to operate safely.” did.
In December, the FAA issued an emergency order prohibiting pilots from using potentially affected altimeters around airports, where they are needed in low visibility conditions. This new rule means that aircraft may not be able to reach some airports in certain situations because pilots cannot land using instruments alone, and more than 6,800 U.S. aircraft and aircraft from dozens of companies Affect manufacturers.
The airline industry also made a desperate final push for wireless carriers to further delay already delayed 5G rollouts. It was originally scheduled for December 5, 2021.
However, the problem was not completely resolved. That’s what happened this week as airlines scrambled to rebook and cancel flights. Then AT&T and Verizon, which own CNN’s parent company WarnerMedia, made 11th-hour pledges to delay the rollout of 5G near some airports.
A White House official told CNN on Tuesday that the administration is working with the FAA, FCC, wireless carriers, airlines and aircraft equipment to find solutions that will enable the deployment of 5G without sacrificing aviation safety. He said he is in talks with the manufacturer.
But Faye Malarkey Black, president of the Regional Airlines Association, which represents airlines that primarily serve rural America, expressed displeasure with the RAA’s claims on Twitter. not participating in any discussion.she too Posted “0% of regional airlines are authorized to make low-visibility landings at #5G-affected airports when weather is below the minimum temperature. Today’s favorable weather leaves rural America with severe aviation It saves us from service disruption.”
The FAA only responded by saying it was “reviewing test data for altimeters used on regional jets.”
At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, President Joe Biden told reporters, “The question of whether we’re working on 5G is, we’re not working on 5G. In fact, you have two companies. That’s what I mean.” Two private companies…they have visible government regulations, so what I’ve been doing is asking the 5G guys to be patient and keep the airlines in line until the airlines can become more modern. It is to comply with the company’s requirements. ,” he said, clearly referring to the altimeter.
But Faye Malarkey Black struck a different tone in an interview with CNN. She said: “What’s disconcerting is that there’s this kind of victory dance going on around this deal. It’s a great deal and crisis averted. Crisis not averted. crisis has been averted.”
Why is this happening in the US and not overseas?
Europe rolled out 5G without any impact on aviation, in stark contrast to the fuss going on in the US. The difference lies in some important technical details.
The European wireless carrier has rolled out new 5G services in the 3.4-3.8 GHz spectrum range. The United States is deploying its 5G services in the radio spectrum with frequencies between 3.7 GHz and 3.98 GHz. This is a faster range and is a little closer to the spectrum used by radar altimeters (between 4.2 and 4.4). GHz.
And the FAA says that’s too close for comfort.
Other countries have also implemented other mitigation measures to prevent interference, such as restricting the placement of 5G antennas near airfields and requiring antennas to be tilted downward to limit potential interference with aircraft. I am teaching.
Regarding how to resolve America’s predicament, Airlines for America President and CEO Nicholas Calio said on CNN: “Basically the solution is to figure out where the bandwidth is, how much power is being used, the tilt of the antenna, the placement of the antenna,” he said. “There are mitigations that can be put in place, but they just take time. Fixes can be done almost instantly, tower by tower.”
Who is to blame?
It’s not entirely clear.
AT&T and Verizon in statements Tuesday placed much of the blame on the Federal Aviation Administration.
AT&T spokeswoman Megan Ketterer said in a statement: “We are frustrated by the FAA’s inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done: safely deploy 5G technology without disrupting aviation service, and in a timely manner. I request that it be introduced.”
“Despite 5G being safe and fully operational in more than 40 other countries, the FAA and our airlines have not fully resolved 5G navigation around airports,” Verizon said in a separate statement. ” he said.
Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, did not mince words about what he called the problem, placing the blame on the US system structure, saying: “This is the most delinquent and totally irresponsible incident of my career in aviation.” It’s one of those situations.”
He added that the “risks and dangers” should have already been assessed.
Which airports are affected?
I do not understand. The FAA’s December order also included a list of airports that would require 5G buffer zones. However, it’s unclear whether AT&T and Verizon have delayed 5G deployment at all locations or just some locations.
It’s also not clear how long they intend to delay deployment, or whether changes will eventually need to be made to the antenna before flipping the switch.
What else do we not know?
We still don’t know exactly what’s holding up all these negotiations. Although there are many voices at the table, including the FCC, FAA, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, wireless carriers, and industry groups, the nature of the current impasse is not entirely clear. I don’t know who is looking for what. I don’t know if further testing is needed.
And perhaps the most troubling thing is that we don’t know when all of this will be resolved.
CNN’s Samantha Murphy-Kelly, Charles Riley and Brian Huang contributed.
