EXPLAINER: 5G and air travel

The Associated Press

The airline industry is raising the stakes in a showdown with AT&T and Verizon over plans to launch new 5G wireless service this week, warning that thousands of flights could be grounded or delayed if the rollout takes place near major airports. CEOs of the nation’s largest airlines say that interference from the wireless service on a key instrument on planes is worse than they originally thought. The pushback this week from airlines follows an agreement earlier this month in which AT&T and Verizon agreed to delay the launch of a new slice of 5G service by two weeks.