In early 2021, an FCC auction sold Verizon and AT&T rights to use “C-band” frequencies at a price of almost $70 billion. The carriers are certainly eager to roll out the service, not only to catch up to T-Mobile, but because the new spectrum will provide in-between performance over much wider coverage areas. T-Mobile is unaffected currently since it uses mid-band spectrum that isn’t in the C-band.
Since our update on C-Band delays yesterday, we understand that both carriers have agreed to the additional 2 week delay.
Verizon:
“We’ve agreed to a two-week delay which promises the certainty of bringing this nation our game-changing 5G network in January, delivered over America’s best and most reliable network.”
AT&T:
“At Secretary Buttigieg’s request, we have voluntarily agreed to one additional two-week delay of our deployment of C-Band 5G services. We also remain committed to the six-month protection zone mitigations we outlined in our letter. We know aviation safety and 5G can co-exist and we are confident further collaboration and technical assessment will allay any issues.”
We’ve also learned that FAA Communications deputy assistant administrator Jeannie Shiffer provided a statement to The Verge saying, “Safety is the core of our mission and this guides all of our decisions. The FAA thanks AT&T and Verizon for agreeing to a voluntary delay and for their proposed mitigations. We look forward to using the additional time and space to reduce flight disruptions associated with this 5G deployment.”
Per the agreement, she adds that companies will use mitigations similar to those already in place in European countries. The deal will see those mitigations put in place around 50 airports for six months. The FAA says, “While U.S. standards and operating environments are unique, we believe this could substantially reduce the disruptions to air operations.”