As the policy tug-of-war between mobile operators and the aviation industry continues, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have also been forced to re-intervene in dispute coordination. Verizon and AT&T have long wanted to drive the expansion of C-band MID-BAND 5G services. However, the aviation industry is very concerned that the spectrum will affect the onboard instruments, which in turn poses a threat to aviation safety.
Base Station Infographic (From Verizon)
The latest news is that two wireless carriers have agreed to postpone the implementation of the 5G IF expansion project for two weeks again. At the same time, it also means they will cancel the celebration scheduled for Tuesday at 1 p.m. EST (marking the start of the spectrum upgrade campaign).
Verizon writes:
We've agreed to postpone it for two weeks to ensure a game-changing, high-quality, and reliable 5G network is brought to this country in January.
Tune in to The #UltraShow on Jan 4th（via）
AT&T also said:
At The request of Minister Buttigieg, we voluntarily agreed to postpone the deployment of C-band 5G services for another two weeks, during which we will continue to work on delivering on a six-month protection mitigation.
We understand that aviation safety can coexist harmoniously with IF 5G, but further technical evaluation is needed to convince other partners that any potential problems can be resolved.
(Photo: AT&T)
In a statement to The Verge, Jeannie Shiffer, FAA Deputy Assistant Director of Communications, said: "Security is our core mission and the FAA guides all decisions accordingly."
We thank AT&T and Verizon for voluntarily agreeing to postpone deployment and implement mitigation measures, and look forward to using the additional time and space to reduce flight disruptions associated with this 5G deployment."
In addition, the agreement will enable companies to deploy existing mitigations similar to those in the European market, with approximately 50 airports expected to be implemented within 6 months.
Finally, while the standards and operating environment in the United States are unique, we believe this can greatly reduce disruption to aviation operations.