5G C-band could lead to 'chaos' warn major airlines

5G at Airport
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Update: Verizon and AT&T have voluntarily agreed to limit 5G C-Band around U.S. airports by temporarily not activating some towers, according to statements given to CNN.

Original story is below:

Verizon and AT&T's $70 billion 5G C-Band investment is once again facing major pushback, but this time from the airlines and supply-chain companies.

After agreeing to multiple delays in the rollout of the mid-band 5G spectrum, which could bring faster and more reliable 5G to millions of Verizon and AT&T customers, the carriers now face fresh, dramatic concerns from Delta, JetBlue, United, Southwest Airlines, and FedEx (along with others).

In a letter sent to the White House National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and obtained by Reuters, the airline CEOs warned that in inclement weather, the rollout of 5G C-Band could lead to "more than 1,100 flights and 100,000 passengers would be subjected to cancellations, diversions or delays."

5G concerns

Concerns over C-Band's potential impact on flight operations are not new. The FAA and airlines have been warning for months that the new band could interfere with some airplane's altimeters, the devices that tell pilots exactly how far they are from the ground.

Verizon and AT&T have long insisted that 5G C-Band poses no threat to aviation but has also agreed to reduce the power coming from all 5G C-Band stations and to additional delays while the aviation industry works on mitigation measures.

Verizon and AT&T's 5G C-Band 5G (T-Mobile uses a different part of the 5G spectrum) was initially set to roll out on January 5, but the carriers agreed to one more last-minute two-week delay. Now, with that set to expire, airlines and supply chain partners are raising their most dire warnings yet.

Companies like FedEx and UPS Airlines wrote in the letter, "To be blunt, the nation’s commerce will grind to a halt."

One of the chief concerns of both the airlines and the FAA is how 5G C-Band transmitters might interfere with flight operations during low-visibilities conditions, such as the recent snowstorms that moved through the US on Sunday (and more are expected this week.).

In a statement released on January 16, the FAA noted that it cleared just under half of the US Commercial fleet to perform low-visibility landings in airports where C-Band will be deployed on January. 19. The agency added, that it "continues to work with manufacturers to understand how radar altimeter data is used in other flight control systems. Passengers should check with their airlines if weather is forecast at a destination where 5G interference is possible."

Steve McCaskill is TechRadar Pro's resident mobile industry expert, covering all aspects of the UK and global news, from operators to service providers and everything in between. He is a former editor of Silicon UK and journalist with over a decade's experience in the technology industry, writing about technology, in particular, telecoms, mobile and sports tech, sports, video games and media. 

Read more
Verizon logo on a building with a blue sky above
US Air Force chooses Verizon for network upgrades, despite Salt Typhoon intrusions
United Airlines
United Airlines is speeding up its free and fast Starlink rollout, here's which planes will get it first
A graphic showing fleet tracking locations over a city.
From smart cities to streaming: 2025 wireless tech predictions
A satellite orbiting earth
Apple invests billions in Globalstar for satellite services and improved iPhone connectivity
Mobile Security
Oh the irony: T-Mobile launches Internet Backup plans for businesses on the day it suffered its biggest outage of 2024
A smartphone on a sofa showing the WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal apps
RCS encryption is still months away following major US telecomms breach
Latest in Phone & Communications
GlocalMe KeyTracker
When I tested this global tracker, it trounced the Apple AirTag in so many ways
Privacy Hero II
I tested this secure router and the bundled year of VPN service feels mostly like a marketing exercise
ThinkPhone 25 by Motorola
I reviewed the ThinkPhone 25 by Motorola and while it's not as fast as its predecessor, it's the superior phone in so many ways
FRITZ!Box 7690 WiFi 7 Router
FRITZ!Box tries to embrace both business and home customers with its new 7690 router
Ulefone Armor Pad 4 Ultra Thermal
Other than screen reflection, I’m still looking for the downside to the Ulefone Armor Pad 4 Ultra Thermal tablet
Unihertz Tank Pad 8849
Carrying the Unihertz Tank Pad 8849 provided me with a full workout
Latest in News
Google Gemini Flash 2.0 Images
I tried Gemini's new AI image generation tool - here are 5 ways to get the best art from Google's Flash 2.0
An image of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra from a hands-on event
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could resurrect an intriguing camera feature
Eurocom Raptor X18
At $15,000, this massive 256GB RAM laptop makes Apple's MacBook Pro look affordable, tiny and very, very slow
Cristin Milioti in Black Mirror season 7
Netflix launches trailer for Black Mirror season 7, giving us a look at its first-ever sequel episode and an unexpected returning character
A graphic of the PC Gaming Show
Get ready for a bounty of PC games on June 8, as the PC Gaming show is back
A close up of The Daily podcast from Pocket Casts' web page
‘Podcasting shouldn’t be locked behind walled gardens’: Pocket Casts slams Spotify and makes its web player free to all