Two of America’s biggest phone companies have agreed to a US government request to delay the launch of 5G mobile services this week.
The BBC reported that the U-turn came after pressure from the airline industry over the planned launch on January 5.
AT&T and Verizon initially rejected the delay request, before reversing, said the broadcaster.
“The phone companies both announced they had accepted the proposed two-week delay late on Monday (January 3),” said the BBC report.
The US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made the request over concerns about aviation safety.
Last month, the chief executives of Boeing and Airbus Americas urged the US government to delay the launch of 5G mobile services.
They argued that 5G interference could have an “enormous negative impact” on the aviation industry and said it could “adversely affect the ability of aircraft to safely operate” by interfering with electronics.
Analysis from aviation group Airlines for America claims that if guidance from the FAA on potential interference from 5G had been in place in 2019, it would have resulted in about 345,000 passenger flights and 5,400 cargo flights being delayed, diverted or cancelled.
An AT&T spokeswoman said in a statement that “we know aviation safety and 5G can co-exist and we are confident further collaboration and technical assessment will allay any issues”.
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