November 13, 2021

By B.N. Frank

American aviation experts have been warning for years that 5G frequencies could cause catastrophic interference issues with aviation instruments (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Nevertheless, proponents (including the Federal Communications Commission) continued to brush them off until last week when AT&T and Verizon finally agreed to delay additional 5G deployment until January. The aviation industry, however, says it needs more time than that.

From Fierce Wireless:
Aviation industry seeks longer delay on C-band deployment

by Monica Alleven

As some folks predicted, 30 days isn’t enough time for the aviation industry to sort out its concerns about the C-band spectrum that AT&T and Verizon have been preparing to deploy.

Aviation organizations sent a letter to the White House calling for a delay in the deployment of C-band until “the safety and efficiency” of the National Airspace System (NAS) is ensured. There’s no specific end date attached to the request.

Last week, AT&T and Verizon agreed to delay their long-awaited launch of C-band spectrum until January 5, 2022 – one month after the initial deployments were expected. The delay is a blow to the carriers, especially Verizon, which has been touting the 5G benefits of C-band for months. The FAA and FCC said the reason for the pause is to “further assess any impact on aviation safety technologies.”

SNIP