The conflict is finally resolved. This Friday, the United States Aviation Authority (FAA) announced that airlines and mobile giants AT&T and Verizon have found common ground for the deployment of 5G near airports. “We believe we have identified a path that will continue to allow aviation and 5G wireless to coexist safely”Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in a statement.
Since last year, airlines and telecom operators have been fighting a fierce battle over the deployment of 5G. The former wanted to curb the deployment of this technology by the latter. They were concerned that the frequencies used by the operators would interfere with the altimeters of the planes. This could prove disastrous, especially when landing.
The activation of some antennas has been postponed
AT&T and Verizon had finally agreed in January to postpone, for six months, the activation of mobile phone antennas around certain airport runways. To As the end of this voluntary moratorium approaches, companies have agreed to an approach “progressive”. The regional companies most exposed to possible interference have agreed to modify their radio altimeters by the end of the year. Telephone operators have at the same time agreed to further delay the activation of 5G antennas located around the airports most likely to be affected for another twelve months, with a gradual lifting of restrictions.
“Through close coordination with the FAA over the past several months, we have developed a more tailored approach to controlling signal strength around runways, allowing us to activate more antennas and increase signal strength », reacted a spokesperson for AT&T. The company has chosen to act ” in good faith “ by agreeing not to deploy all its antennas immediately “to give airlines more time to modify their equipment”he added.
(with AFP)
