Aviation Advocates and Wireless Carriers Gear Up for Next 5G Fight

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Aviation Advocates and Wireless Carriers Gear Up for Next 5G Fight

After a bruising fight between carriers and the aviation industry over 5G, an aviation coalition has laid the groundwork for the next round.

Verizon and AT&T spent billions to purchase C-band spectrum at Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auctions. C-band is considered among the best spectrum for 5G, providing a good balance of speed, range, and building penetration.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the airline industry objected to Verizon and AT&T deploying C-band around airports, sparking a major debate about the safety of 5G and the airlines. The concern revolved around potential interference with airplane altimeters, which operate on spectrum very close to C-band.

The parties eventually agreed to limit C-band deployment around airports until July 2023, but aviation advocates want to make that ban permanent, especially for C-band in the 4,200-4,400MHz range. The advocates also want 5G transmitters restricted from pointing 90 degrees above the horizon.

The aviation coalition outlined their wishes in a letter to the FCC:

These concepts, such as preventing antennas pointing 90 degrees above the horizon and maintaining the wireless spurious emissions in the 4200-4400 MHz band consistent with current mitigations, would appear to not compromise wireless operators’ actual use cases while further assuring aviation safety and providing a workable RF environment against which future radio altimeters can be designed and built.

Only time will tell if the aviation advocates will prevail, although Verizon and AT&T will likely strongly oppose any extension of the C-band limits. Whatever the outcome, all parties no doubt want to avoid the fallout they experienced from Round One.

Aviation Advocates and Wireless Carriers Gear Up for Next 5G Fight
Staff

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