US authorities request delay on 5G roll-out amid air traffic concerns

US authorities asked major telecoms operators to hold off on their planned rollout of 5G networks for another two weeks on Saturday.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Steve Dickson, asked AT&T and Verizon — two of the country’s biggest operators — for the delay amid safety concerns.

The rollout had originally been planned for December 5, but was delayed until January 5 after aerospace giants Airbus and Boeing voiced worries about potential interference.

Buttigieg requested a delay “for an additional short period of no more than two weeks” in a letter to the companies.

The concerns regard the use of the range of frequencies used by both 5G technology as well as the devices on aircraft for measuring altitude.

AT&T and Verizon acquired the authorization to start using 3.7-3.8 GHz — the so-called C-Band service — frequency back in February 2021 after paying tens of billions of dollars. The initial launch date for the high-speed internet network was pushed back so that the FAA could get information on the effects on altimeter instruments.

The agency has expressed concern about possible interferences with aircraft electronics. Buttigieg and Dickson based their request for a delay on the threat of severe impacts on air travel.