US Carriers AT&T, Verizon Delay 5G Rollout Near Some Airports Over 'Frustration' With FAA

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2022) US mobile carriers AT&T and Verizon said they have delayed introduction of their 5G network near some airports due to airlines' concerns about flight safety from the deployment of the technology, and expressed frustration with aviation authorities over the matter.

"At our sole discretion we have voluntarily agreed to temporarily defer turning on a limited number of towers around certain airport runways as we continue to work with the aviation industry and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to provide further information about our 5G deployment, since they have not utilized the two years they've had to responsibly plan for this deployment," AT&T said in a statement.

AT&T also criticized the FAA's processes that had contributed to the decision and called for quick remedial action.

"We are frustrated by the FAA's inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done, which is to safely deploy 5G technology without disrupting aviation services, and we urge it to do so in a timely manner," the carrier said. It added that it is launching "advanced 5G services everywhere else as planned with the temporary exception of this limited number of towers."

Verizon issued a similar statement that it had "voluntarily" limited 5G deployment near airports.

"As the nation's leading wireless provider, we have voluntarily decided to limit our 5G network around airports," the carrier said. "The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and our nation's airlines have not been able to fully resolve navigating 5G around airports, despite it being safe and fully operational in more than 40 other countries."

The 5G C-Band service used by US carriers is close to frequencies used by key instruments of modern aircraft and the FAA had expressed concerns that it could interfere with aviation systems such as radio altimeters.