AT&T and Verizon could soon be allowed to deploy 5G services on C-band spectrum starting early next month, effectively bringing to a close the last-minute delay both carriers agreed to last month. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) now says it “believes the expansion of 5G and aviation will safely co-exist.” This statement comes just one month after it issued an ominous bulletin warning pilots about potential spectrum interference with altimeters, a critical tool that helps pilots land safely.

FAA Warns Pilots About Possible Restrictions

The potential fix, as outlined by the FAA, would impose new limits on flights, particularly during poor weather. The agency said an assessment of the potential for interference is ongoing and warned that it will issue notices to pilots with specific restrictions. 

A pair of airworthiness directives issued by the FAA provide a framework for continued research into the matter, including some possible restrictions that may be imposed on airports and flights encountering poor weather. It also suggested a ban on instrument landings, which require the use of altimeters, and the use of automated systems at some airports.

“The FAA is working closely with the Federal Communications Commission and wireless companies, and has made progress toward safely implementing the 5G expansion,” the FAA said in a statement. “We are confident with ongoing collaboration we will reach this shared goal.”

AT&T, Verizon Eagerly Await Deployment

AT&T and Verizon are raring to go. The operators spent a combined $68.9 billion for C-band spectrum licenses that form the basis for mid-band 5G deployment on their respective networks.

AT&T CEO John Stankey and Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg both addressed the issue earlier this week during separate interviews at the UBS Global TMT Conference. However, those interviews occurred a day before the FAA issued its update.

Verizon CEO Claims ‘No Impact’

“There’s no impact” for Verizon or its plan to cover 100 million people with mid-band 5G in 46 markets by March 2022, Vestberg said. “No impact on our launch date. No impact on how many [potential customers] we’ll cover.”

The carrier made some small and minor tweaks, he said, adding that there are very few towers close to an airport. 

“We have the spectrum. We’ll launch when we want. We thought it was a good, and sort of a fair thing to do to offer them some more time to look into this,” Vestberg said. 

AT&T CEO ‘Not Worried’

Stankey shares that outlook for AT&T and its position on the one-month delay. “Look, we’re ready to go. We’ve been thinking about this a long time. We’ve been executing on it a long time and we’re anxious to turn that spectrum up,” he said. 

“I'm not worried about the issue with the FAA,” Stankey said, adding that the U.S. has been responsible and taken a more conservative stance on the matter. However, he noted “C-band is up and running in other parts of the globe without incident, and there’s planes flying and landing every day.”

AT&T, following a shedding of misbegotten media assets, effectively doubled its mid-band 5G deployment plans to reach 200 million people by the end of 2023.

“Right now AT&T is holding a valid license to put C-band into service and we paid a lot of money for it,” Stankey said.