AT&T and Verizon said Tuesday they will delay launching the new 5G wireless service near key airports after some of the country’s biggest airlines complained.
The news: The Biden administration tried to create a deal between the telecommunications companies AT&T and Version with airlines, who had previously complained that 5G services would make flights unsafe, according to ABC News.
- AT&T said it would delay turning the new cell towers on around some runaways.
- Per ABC News, Verizon said it would launch its 5G service but “we have voluntarily decided to limit our 5G network around airports.”
Flashback: Multiple CEOs of major airline carriers penned a letter to U.S. transportation and economic officials as both Verizon and AT&T planned to launch of the new C-Band 5G service on Wednesday, NBC News reports.
The airlines said the 5G signals might create interference with safety equipment.
- “To be blunt, the nation’s commerce will grind to a halt,” the leaders said in a letter, according to The New York Times.
- “Immediate intervention is needed to avoid significant operational disruption to air passengers, shippers, supply chain and delivery of needed medical supplies.”
What happened: The airline leaders said economic officials should make sure the 5G technology can’t work within two miles of 50 different airports, according to The New York Times.