After delaying C-band 5G rollouts around 50 US airports, AT&T and Verizon agree to a phased rollout over the next year as aircraft operators retrofit their planes with radio frequency filters.
Earlier this year, Verizon and AT&T delayed full C-band 5G deployments around select airports at the request of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but that should be resolved by July 2023, the agency said this week.
« We believe we have identified a path that will continue to enable aviation and 5G C-band wireless to safely co-exist », Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in a statement. « We appreciate the willingness of Verizon and AT&T to continue this important and productive collaboration with the aviation industry. »
The carriers were originally supposed to fully deploy their C-band networks in early December, but delayed that to Jan. 5 amid FAA concerns about interference with the altimeters used by commercial aircraft. By Jan. 2, though, the FAA said it needed to more fully investigate the risks of C-band 5G, and the carriers reluctantly agreed to create 5G « buffer zones » around 50 airports for at least six months.
