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The FAA has chosen 50 airports that will have buffer zones to help prevent flight disruptions when AT&T and Verizon bring their 5G expansion live on January 19th. Safety regulators picked airports based on location, traffic volume, and the likelihood of low visibility, all factors that may increase cancelations, delays, and diversions as both carriers roll out 5G C-band service.
The Wall Street Journal pointed out that busy airports such as Chicago O'Hare, as well as airports in locations that are often impacted by foggy conditions, are included on the list.
The 5G transmitters will be turned off for six months.
The FAA notes that AT&T and Verizon have agreed to turn off their 5G transmitters for six months in order tominimize potential 5G interference with sensitive aircraft instruments used in low-visibility landings. Major hubs like Atlanta / Jackson International and Denver International didn't make the list because they aren't in locations where 5G C-Band deployment will take place.
AT&T and Verizon spent a combined $70 billion last year to acquire chunks of the C-band spectrum, which should provide a middle ground in terms of 5G speed and coverage. The two currently offer 5G service using super fast high-band millimeter wave technology that only covers small areas, as well as the low-band spectrum, which provides a lot of coverage with slow service akin to 4G. T-Mobile has 5G service in the mid-band, but it is not in the C-band range.
Air safety fears delayed the launch of AT&T's 5G expansion twice, but they were originally set to switch on December 5th. The carriers agreed to turn on service on January 19th after the FAA agreed to delay the roll out until January 5th.
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