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.
