Turns out airplane safety is pretty important
Despite the hype from carriers, the switch to 5G hasn’t been quite the game changer many of us had expected. Sure, having faster data speeds on the go is nice, but Twitter and Instagram feeds can only load so fast — and some areas still have yet to get their first taste of 5G at all. Verizon and AT&T planned to launch some newly-acquired spectrum — the “C-band” — late last year, but delayed its plans following safety concerns from the FAA. While both companies pushed back against the request for additional holdups, they’ve since relented and agreed to a two-week delay.
Verizon and AT&T initially planned to start using C-band spectrum on December 5th before rescheduling the launch for January 5th. On Friday — with relatively short notice — the FAA and US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg asked the cell companies for an additional two weeks of delay, following up on that month-long pause first granted in November. Yesterday, Verizon and AT&T released a joint letter to the FAA, informing the US government they had waited long enough.
As reported by Reuters, the two cell networks have agreed to temporarily halt 5G launches on C-band around airports through July — a six-month period — but otherwise have outright rejected any additional delays. It’s a similar strategy to the one currently being used in France, which has yet to cause any disruptions or problems with aircrafts. Although FAA officials have stated that France’s 5G spectrum is further away from that used for radio altimeters than what’s allowed for in the US, Verizon plans to stay within the same range for the next couple of years as a safety precaution.
While representatives of the Association of Flight Attendants and the Air Line Pilots Association threw their support behind additional delays of this week’s launch, the two networks do have some support from politicians. Former FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly praised the move, tweeting that the US shouldn’t be expected to have stricter C-band limitations than France.
In response, the FAA noted it was reviewing the letter on Sunday night and stated: “U.S. aviation safety standards will guide our next actions.” With just a couple of days to go until AT&T and Verizon launch their long-awaited spectrum, it’ll be interesting to see how the FAA follows up on its denied request.
UPDATE: 2022/01/03 22:32 EST BY WILL SATTELBERG
Verizon and AT&T agree to a delay
Well, that didn’t take long. As annoyed as Verizon and AT&T may have seemed with the FAA’s request for a delay in this week’s C-band launch, it turns out safety usually takes priority over business — even on such short notice. Late Monday night, both carriers issued statements (via The Verge) agreeing to a two-week hiatus to allow regulators to ensure their 5G spectrum will not interfere with radio altimeters in planes. If this launch finally goes according to plan, January 19th is the date to watch.
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