The C-band 5G service will not be available on January 5th. The carriers have agreed to delay their 5G expansion by two more weeks. The companies were asked to investigate the possible interference with aircraft systems.
The Federal Aviation Administration requested that both AT&T and Verizon expand their C-band service, but they held off on it. The new frequencies are too close to the ones used by the radar altimeter in airplanes, which provides data on the distance between the plane and the ground. There could be interferences that could lead to unsafe landings. Wireless industry giants argue that the C-band service's powers are low enough and that the gap in frequencies is large enough to prevent interference.
The agencies asked the carriers for a delay of two more weeks to look into the issue. They initially rejected the authorities' request for an additional delay, but then issued a joint letter that said they would honor the request. The carriers tried to negotiate a compromise that would allow for a six-month pause in deployment near some airports.
It's not clear what changed the companies' minds, but they have agreed to put their plans on hold.
A person told Engadget.
We have agreed to a two week delay which will assure the certainty of bringing this nation's game-changing 5G network in January, delivered over America's best and most reliable wireless network.
An AT&T spokesman sent us a reply.
Secretary Buttigieg requested that we delay our deployment of C-Band 5G services by two weeks. The six-month protection zone mitigations we outlined in our letter remain our commitment. Aviation safety and 5G can coexist and we are confident that further collaboration and technical assessment will allay any issues.
Between June 2015 and September 2021. The parent company of Engadget is Yahoo Inc.
