The chief executives of major U.S. passenger and cargo carriers on Monday warned of an impending 'catastrophic' aviation crisis on Wednesday when AT&T and Verizon finally deploy their new 5G services.
The two companies have spent tens of billions of dollars to license the 3.7 to 3.98 GHz frequency range for its new high-speed C-Band 5G service.
But officials with the FAA and airplane manufacturer Boeing have warned that there is potential for interference with vital aircraft instruments that operate in the 4.2 to 4.4 GHz range, such as radio altimeters that tell pilots their altitude as they fly in low visibility.
In short, the fear is that false altitude readings could confuse pilots as they approach the runway in poor visibility conditions, with potentially disastrous results.
The executives warned that some planes, including Boeing 787s, 777s, 737s, could even be grounded permanently over the safety concerns which will affect passengers and delay cargo being transported.
And on a day like Sunday when winter weather gripped the nation, the CEOs claim in their letter that interference to airplanes' altimeters could result in 'more than 1,100 flights and 100,000 passengers would be subjected to cancellations, diversions or delays.'
Other planes could be grounded permanently because the altimeter provides signals to their mandated safety features.
AT&T and Verizon, which won nearly all of the C-Band spectrum in an $80 billion auction last year, have agreed to buffer zones around 50 airports to reduce interference risks and take other steps to cut potential interference for six months. But many of the major airports were not included in the list.
Action is urgent, the executives added in the letter, writing: 'To be blunt, the nation's commerce will grind to a halt.'
It was signed by the chief executives of American Airlines, JetBlue Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, as well as officials from FedEx Express and UPS Airlines.
