The US Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) ongoing complex relationship with operators Verizon and AT&T on ultra-fast 5G C-band deployment at airports is finally getting back on track: In a statement on Friday, the FAA said that more 5G towers can operate securely at key airports. announced that an agreement has been reached on new steps that allow
FAA, USA, Department of Transportation and more recently major airlines have expressed their concerns about security problems that may occur due to 5G C-band. The main question here was whether 5G C-band towers near airports would affect some flight devices, for example the altimeters that tell pilots how far they are from the ground.
AT&T and Verizon say it’s safe, and airlines, airports, and the FAA have months to get around these concerns and potential technical hurdles. They also adopted various mitigation measures, from reducing the transmission power of all 5G towers to temporarily shutting down some towers around airports. Thus, the way for 5G C-band towers was also opened.
Verizon calls its own connection “5G Ultra Broadband”. AT&T just calls it “C-Band”.
“The FAA appreciates the robust communication and collaboration approach with wireless companies that provides more precise data on the exact location of wireless transmitters and supports a more comprehensive analysis of how 5G C-band signals interact with precision aircraft,” the FAA said in a statement released Friday.
The location data allowed the FAA to determine that “it is possible to safely and more precisely map the size and shape of areas around airports where 5G signals are attenuated, and shrink areas where wireless operators delay antenna activations.”
The collaboration means AT&T and Verizon will open more towers. However, the FAA added that it is still working with helicopter operators and the rest of the aviation industry to ensure they can operate safely in 5G transmission areas as well.
On the consumer side, if you have a 5G phone, it probably already supports 5G C-Band. Verizon customers may notice a small “UW” sign next to 5G during this connection.
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