Pressure Is on for Supplying All Planes With Radio Upgrades to Avoid 5G Interference

by Mindy Cohn

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has issued a warning that airlines flying planes that have not been updated to prevent interference from transmissions by wireless companies might not be allowed to land during times when visibility is hampered.

The warning from Buttigieg was released in a letter to trade group Airlines for America right before wireless carriers will be boosting the power of their C-Band, 5G signals. The upgrade is happening on July 1 in areas around airports after a delay was granted to give airlines more time to update their fleets. 

Some aviation experts believe that C-Band signals are too close on the radio spectrum to the frequencies used by radio altimeters, which measure the height of a plane above the ground. Newer radio altimeters which measure the plane's height in the air, are protected from interference. However, the altimeters are challenging to find for all aircraft that need upgrades, given ongoing supply-chain issues.

Only 20% of planes still require the fix. Airlines that have not been able to upgrade the equipment on all of their planes will work to route the aircraft accordingly to limit disruptions while retrofitting as many planes as possible through the rest of the summer.