Boeing and Airbus have written a joint letter to US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigiegi who asked that Verizon and Rollout AT & T C-band 5G was delayed. At the heart of this problem is concern for interference with aircraft altimeter.

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Verizon and AT & T are the biggest bidder for the C-band spectrum, in the range of mid-band, at the FCC auction recently. In fact, under his legal name Celco Partnership, Verizon spent $ 45,454,843,197 while AT & T spent $ 23,406,860,839 (via FCC).

Collectively, the two companies spent more than $ 68 billion in the C-band spectrum because the spectrum was in the range of 3.7 to 3.98 GHz, which was considered ideal for 5G. The low-band spectrum, such as Verizon, AT & T, and the use of T-Mobile for their national 5G network, offers superior range, but the speed is not much faster than 4G LTE. The fastest flavor of 5G – mmwave in 6 GHz and a higher range – offers multi-gigabit performance, but has a very limited range and penetration of buildings.

Instead, the C-band falls right in the middle, providing very good speed combined with a decent range and penetration of buildings.

Apart from the C-band spectrum appointment for 5G applications, the airline sounded alarm more than interference worries with altimeter, which operates in the range of 4.2 to 4.4 GHz.

Because the altimeter and c-band spectrum is relatively close, the airline and FAA are worried that 5G signals can interfere with altimeter and have an impact on the accuracy. Concerns lead Verizon and AT & T to delay their launch, and then agree to limit the power output of their spectrum deployment, especially around the airport and helipads. (By hill).

Although Verizon and AT & T concessions, FAA issued new guidelines that limit the use of altimeters in low visibility conditions when 5G can interfere.

This concern is what drives Boeing and Airbus executives to request delays in Verizon and C-band AT & T, saying that “5G interference can affect the ability of the aircraft to operate safely.” According to Reuters, the letter continued by saying that continuing the launch can have a “very large negative impact on the aviation industry”

Obviously, with more than $ 68 billion invested in the C-band spectrum, Verizon and AT & T are not happy with the situation, and both companies underestimate potential problems. Only time will tell whether the danger is real, or whether the worries are excessive.