INDIANAPOLIS — Some of the nation’s top cell phone providers are rolling out their stronger 5G cell service this week, but it will not be available around the nation’s 50 largest airports.
The FAA and cell service providers, such as AT&T and Verizon, have agreed to halt the rollout of 5G within a two-mile radius of large airports, including Indianapolis International Airport, because of unresolved concerns about how the signals will affect instruments on airplanes taking off.
The aviation community has expressed concerns that the 5G signal may give pilots inaccurate readings when it comes to altitude and radar.
“If that is indeed true, then we need to have a conversation about that in our state if it turns out we are onto something,” said State Sen. J.D. Ford (D-Indianapolis) to WISH-TV, whose district includes the Indy airport.
Time is of the essence for aviation experts because the agreement between the FAA and cell providers does not include smaller regional airports, such as Evansville and Fort Wayne.
“These are highly complex technical issues that need to be worked out,” says Nick Calio with the airline advocacy group Airlines for America. “The problem is not solved, and we’ve got a lot of work to do, and everybody needs to keep doing this work with a real sense of urgency to get it done so that planes can keep flying and we can deploy 5G at the same time.”
The delay in the rollout of 5G will last for two weeks so airports, airlines, and other stakeholders can work with the FAA to get more details about the impacts on airplanes by 5G signals.
