The image is by Alex Castro.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been asked by the US officials to have more time to decide where they should interfere with airlines. The CEOs of the two telecoms were sent a letter on Friday requesting a delay of no more than two weeks.
The deployment was delayed by a month by AT&T and was supposed to start on January 5th. The two telecoms told Insider that they are looking at the request for a further delay. Even with an additional delay, they expect 5G deployment to begin in January with certain exceptions.
Carriers are upset with the delays.
The new 5G spectrum that the two telecoms bought in early 2021, which is called the C-band frequencies, will be used to deploy the new network. The sweet spot of the spectrum allows radio waves to hit at high speeds without the limitations of millimeter wave 5G. Getting these deployment out is a critical step for AT&T and Verizon to make 5G a worthwhile upgrade and stay competitive with T-Mobile, which has already started deploying its own similar spectrum.
The use of guided landing systems for times of low visibility could be at risk due to interference with C-band frequencies. On December 7th, the FAA told pilots that they wouldn't be able to use the guided and automatic landing systems at airports where there's been interference, which could lead to many flight delays.
Most large commercial aircraft can operate safely in all conditions if they are identified as priority airports. According to The Wall Street Journal, there are some proposals to place buffer zones around airports.
The delays are not good for AT&T and Verizon. The companies accused the industry of holding deployment hostage unless they covered the cost of altimeter upgrades. The airline industry has a lot of bigger issues to worry about, according to the company.
