Verizon, AT&T to get full C-Band use, extend some 5G safeguards - letter
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[April 01, 2023] By
David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Four major U.S. wireless carriers told the Federal
Communications Commissions (FCC) late on Friday they had agreed to some
voluntary actions to address aviation safety concerns and allow full use
of the C-Band wireless spectrum for 5G use.
"These voluntary commitments will support full-power deployments across
C-Band, and are crafted to minimize the operational impact on our C-Band
operations," said the letter from Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile US and
UScellular filed with the FCC on Friday and seen by Reuters.
The agreement follows extensive discussions with the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) and is a major step forward, allowing carriers to
increase power levels to get to full C-Band use, according to the letter
and people involved in the talks.
Concerns that 5G service could interfere with airplane altimeters, which
give data on a plane's height above the ground and are crucial for
bad-weather landing, led to brief disruptions at some U.S. airports last
year as international carriers canceled some flights.
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Last year, Verizon and AT&T voluntarily agreed to delay some C-Band 5G
usage until July as air carriers worked to retrofit airplane altimeters.
T-Mobile and UScellular had not begun deployment when the agreement was
announced.
Reuters first reported in February that the FAA, Verizon and AT&T were
in talks to reach a new agreement that sought to extend some voluntary
mitigations beyond July 1.
Verizon said Friday it "agreed to final voluntary commitments that will
allow our company to fully use our C-band spectrum for 5G by the
previously agreed to deadline of July 1."
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Small toy figures with laptops and
smartphones are seen in front of displayed AT&T logo, in this
illustration taken December 5, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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AT&T said the "filing is the result of collaborative and productive
conversations with the FAA."
Some of those commitments could last until 2028. The FAA had
initially sought to extend some through up to 2033, two sources
briefed on the matter.
The FCC did not immediately comment. The FAA said Friday it
continues "to work closely to ensure a safe co-existence in the U.S.
5G C-band environment."
UScellular said the "agreement results from collaboration and
coordination with the FAA, FCC, and our industry partners to ensure
UScellular can deploy our C-band spectrum without delay."
Last month, the world's biggest airline trade body warned many
airlines will be unable to meet looming U.S. deadlines to retrofit
airplane altimeters to ensure they are not susceptible to 5G
wireless interference.
Wireless carriers won the spectrum in an $80 billion auction with
Verizon paying $52.9 billion.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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