The American government is pushing for a slight delay in the introduction of 5G Internet for mobile phones because of possible risks to aviation.
Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the head of the FAA Aviation Administration, Steve Dickson, appealed to the network operators AT&T and Verizon to postpone the introduction planned for January 5th for a maximum of two weeks.
In addition, the introduction of the so-called C-band - i.e. a certain frequency range - around important airports should be restricted until the end of March in order to have enough time at the airports for necessary tests and upgrades.
Buttigieg and Dickson wrote on Friday that "extensive and unacceptable interruptions" in air traffic were threatened without delay, especially in bad weather and poor visibility. They warned that these could lead to the diversion and cancellation of numerous flights and thus quickly have an impact on all air traffic.
The FAA fears that 5G technology could interfere with certain aircraft electronics.
In particular, the effects on the aircraft's radio altimeters must be checked, the FAA said shortly before Christmas.
The reason is that the radio frequencies that are to be used in the USA for 5G are quite close to those that are also used for the altimeters of the aircraft.
The telecommunications companies have acquired the rights to use the radio frequencies for many billions of US dollars and are relying on rapid commissioning.