Washington: Verizon and AT&T have rejected a request by the US government to delay the rollout of next-generation wireless technology.
A joint letter Sunday from the telecommunications giants to US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Steve Dickson, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration, sought to dismiss concerns brought by US airlines that a new 5G wireless service could harm aviation.
But Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon Communications, and John Stankey, CEO of AT&T, also wrote that they were willing to accept some temporary measures over the next six months to limit the service around certain airport runways.
Airlines had asked the Federal Communications Commission to delay this week's scheduled 5G rollout, saying the service, set to launch Wednesday, could interfere with electronics that pilots rely on.
Airlines for America, a trade group for large US passenger and cargo carriers, said in an emergency filing that the FCC has failed to adequately consider the harm that 5G service could do to
the industry.