SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As the airplane industry is concerned thousands of flights could be grounded or delayed if the rollout of 5G wireless service takes place near major airports, the Sacramento International Airport is taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of its travelers.
Aviation regulators and airline officials have raised concerns that the rollout of 5G service near airports could interfere with altimeters, which measure an aircraft’s height above the ground. Data from altimeters is used to help pilots land when visibility is poor.
Amidst concerns, on Tuesday both AT&T and Verizon agreed at the last minute to pause a portion of the 5G wireless data rollouts which were scheduled to begin Wednesday, Jan. 19.
"At our sole discretion we have voluntarily agreed to temporarily defer turning on a limited number of towers around certain airport runways as we continue to work with the aviation industry and the FAA to provide further information about our 5G deployment," AT&T said in a statement.
"We have voluntarily decided to limit our 5G network around airports. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and our nation's airlines have not been able to fully resolve navigating 5G around airports, despite it being safe and fully operational in more than 40 other countries," Verizon said in a statement following AT&T.
So, how is the Sacramento International Airport (SMF) responding to the impact 5G wireless service rollouts could have? In a statement, the Sacramento County Department of Airports said they are continuing to monitor the government and wireless carriers' work on understanding the impact of 5G.
"As this work continues, safety remains a top priority for the airport. We will continue to work with the FAA and airline partners at a local level to ensure a smooth, safe travel experience," a spokesperson for the Sacramento Department of Airports said.
As safety remains top of mind for the airport, the FAA also assured travelers that they should feel safe travelling in the United States.
"Aviation in the U.S. is the safest in the world because we rely on data to mitigate risk, and never assume that a piece of equipment or a given flight scenario is safe until this can be demonstrated," the FAA assured.
The Sacramento Department of Airports encourages travelers to check with their airlines directly to monitor the status of their flights.
