Major US telecom operators AT&T and Verizon Communications have agreed to temporarily delay the launch of some 5G towers near key airports, Reuters reported. This is to prevent serious disruption to airline flights due to interference with aircraft radio altimeters used during takeoffs and landings. Boeing warned last December that the issue could be sensitive to equipment on Boeing 777s and Boeing 747-8s. Nevertheless, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has allowed the operation of towers of the new communication standard at the airports of New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and a number of other major cities.
This is the third decision of AT&T and Verizon since November last year to postpone the launch of part of the networks of the new standard. In November, the launch of the towers was postponed until January 5, and then until January 19.