The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it has reached a new agreement with AT&T and Verizon on deploying 5G signals around airports that should prevent a repeat of the stand-off over interference that threatened flights earlier this year.
Why it matters: Airline CEOs previously warned of catastrophic disruptions to flights, prompting AT&T and Verizon to agree in January to limit 5G deployments near airports until next month.
Catch up quick: Airlines feared that signals from the new 5G services could reduce the accuracy of radio altimeters, which help planes land and take off in inclement weather.
Driving the news: The two wireless carriers agreed to rolling deployments starting in July, allowing them to increase the strength of their 5G signals near airports each month for the next year.
- In the meantime, the FAA said operators of regional aircraft with radio altimeters most susceptible to interference must retrofit them with radio frequency filters by the end of this year.
- By July 2023, wireless carriers should be able to operate their networks in urban areas with minimal restrictions, while airlines should have completed the work on the altimeters, the FAA said.
- “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.
What they’re saying: AT&T and Verizon spent billions in a federal government auction to buy the airwaves licenses, known as C-band, to use for 5G services, and planned to begin using them months ago.
- “Today’s announcement identifies a path forward that will enable Verizon to make full use of our C-Band spectrum for 5G around airports on an accelerated and defined schedule,” Craig Silliman, Verizon EVP and Chief Administrative Officer, said in a statement.
- “Though our FCC licenses allow us to fully deploy much-needed C-Band spectrum right now, we have chosen in good faith to implement these more tailored precautionary measures so that airlines have additional time to retrofit equipment,” AT&T spokesperson Alex Byers said.