A number of airline industry groups are petitioning the Federal Communications Commission to permanently restrict 5G signals in some areas around airports.
Currently, Verizon and AT&T are not broadcasting C-band 5G near U.S. airports until July 2023 as part of their agreements with the FCC. The interim agreement is intended to give airlines time to ensure that 5G signals do not interfere with aircraft equipment, particularly a component called the radar altimeter, during landings in rough weather. However, as Light Reading previously reported, aviation advocacy groups, including the Aerospace Industries Association and Airlines for America, have met with the FCC to discuss making some of the restrictions permanent.
The restrictions, outlined in a formal petition, would shift some of the responsibility back to carriers, such as preventing 5G antennas from pointing 90 degrees above the horizon. It also plans to make the current ban on certain C-band signal emissions (particularly in the 4,200MHz to 4,400MHz frequency range) permanent.
The proposed solution “further ensures aviation safety and provides a viable RF environment that can be used to design and build future radio altimeters, while not compromising real-world use cases for wireless carriers.” “It appears not to be the case,” the petition reads.
When reached for comment, Verizon did not address the petition’s 5G proposals.
“We will continue to have positive discussions with the government.” [Federal Aviation Administration] and the FCC, and progress is being made. “It’s encouraging to see airlines making progress on these issues as well,” Verizon said in a statement to CNET.
AT&T did not respond to a request for comment. The FCC declined to comment.
read more: Aviation’s 5G journey: Everything you need to know
It is unclear how seriously the FCC will take these proposals or whether they will affect current agreements between the FAA and carriers regarding C-band 5G. The FCC has set aside a debate between the FAA and carriers that lasted from late 2021 to early 2022 over whether airlines can safely launch C-band 5G service without disrupting aircraft landings.
An armistice agreement was signed Brokered in January This allowed AT&T and Verizon to enable service in the C-band range and improve 5G coverage for their subscribers, as long as they restricted the C-band around certain airports. These blackout zones were designed to give airlines time to inspect their aircraft until July 2022. Extended until July 2023. AT&T and Verizon’s combined spending is approximately $70 billion for acquisitions C-band spectrum licenses during FCC auctions held in December 2020 and January 2021.
Airlines are also refining airport technology. Around June, AT&T announced that it had “developed a more customized approach to controlling signal strength around runways that allows us to operate more towers and increase signal strength.”
