AT&T, Verizon will delay some 5G deployment

In a move to avert a significant disruption to U.S. flights, telecommunications giants AT&T and Verizon on Tuesday agreed to temporarily defer turning on some wireless towers with 5G service near key airports - a third such delay for the two companies.

The new C-Band 5G wireless service - which was set to begin on Wednesday - threatened to cause massive flight cancellations.

The Federal Aviation Administration had warned that potential 5G wireless interference could affect sensitive airplane instruments such as altimeters and significantly hamper low-visibility operations.

It was not immediately clear how many towers the wireless companies agreed not to activate.

U.S. President Joe Biden hailed the agreement, saying in a statement (quote):

"This agreement will avoid potentially devastating disruptions to passenger travel and cargo operations."

While White House press secretary Jen Psaki called for a lasting solution:

“Our objective is, of course, to reach a solution around 5G deployment that maintains the highest level of safety while minimizing disruptions to passenger travel. That's what we're working towards.”

It was the third time that AT&T and Verizon agreed to delay deployment of the new C-Band 5G wireless service.

The chief executives of major U.S. passenger and cargo carriers on Monday said new 5G service could render a significant number of widebody aircraft unusable, "could potentially strand tens of thousands of Americans overseas" and cause chaos for U.S. flights.

Now, the FAA and airlines must grapple with how to resolve the concerns permanently.

Despite Tuesday’s agreement, major foreign carriers including Air India and Japan's biggest airline, ANA Holdings, said they had canceled some U.S.-bound flights because of possible 5G interference.