AT&T and Verizon agree to two-week 5G expansion delay at FAA's request

Iphone 12 5g
Iphone 12 5g (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

  • Both AT&T and Verizon have agreed to delay the expansion of their 5G networks for two weeks.
  • The FAA, among others, had requested that the carriers delay their work over flight safety concerns.
  • Some worry that the use of the C-bend spectrum could cause problems with systems mid-flight.

Both AT&T and Verizon have agreed to delay the expansion of their 5G networks for two weeks at the request of the Federal Aviation Administration and airline companies. The expansion would have seen the 5G networks be upgraded with C-band spectrum on January 5, but that will now no longer happen.

According to Cnet, the delay comes after Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also requested a delay amid concerns that use of C-band 5G connections could impact inflight navigation systems, with potentially dire consequences.

"At Secretary Buttigieg's request, we have voluntarily agreed to one additional two-week delay of our deployment of C-Band 5G services," AT&T said in an e-mailed statement. "We also remain committed to the six-month protection zone mitigations we outlined in our letter. We know aviation safety and 5G can co-exist and we are confident further collaboration and technical assessment will allay any issues."

Carriers have already proposed that cell towers operate with lower power levels to ensure they don't impact flights, while towers near airports would also see their power levels reduced yet further. However, those concessions have yet to appease airlines and those in the aviation industry, hence this latest delay.

The delay reduces the risk of legal action but doesn't guarantee a positive outcome for all concerned. Carriers paid handsomely to use frequencies from 3.7 to 3.98GHz for their upgraded 5G connections and will no doubt want to make use of them sooner rather than later.

Apple's iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 both support 5G connectivity, of course, as do all Android flagship devices.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.

Latest in Phones
iPhone 14 emergency SOS via satellite
The Pixel 9 ripped off the iPhone's SOS via satellite feature and that's a good thing
Caviar iphone case lifestyle image
Do you need to spend $100 on an iPhone case? I’ve tested hundreds of them, and here’s what you have to consider
iPhone 15 on display in an Apple store
Apple accused of using blood minerals from a region 'devastated by grave violations of human rights' in its products
Apple iPhone satellite locator
A life-saving iPhone feature could come to Google's next flagship phone when it's unveiled later this year
iPhone 16 Pro render
Here's your first look at iPhone 16 Pro — Stunning concept shows off a rumored Dynamic Island redesign and a mystery button
iPhone 15 Pro review back handheld angled camera
iPhone 15 Pro's upgrades bag popular 'Best Camera' gong, but it isn't enough to make it the best phone of the year as Google's Pixel 8 triumphs
Latest in News
iMore Logo
One more thing… Goodbye from iMore
Jony Ive
Jony Ive’s OpenAI hardware device could be his next world-changing design
NEBULA Cosmos 4K SE with Apple TV
This new 4K projector is tempting me to replace my LG C2 TV, just so I can watch Slow Horses on a 200-inch display
VisionOS 2 app reorganization
visionOS 2 is the first major software update for Apple Vision Pro, and now it's available
macOS Sequoia
macOS Sequoia (version 15) is now available for your Mac with some big upgrades
watchOS 11
watchOS 11 is now rolling out to all Apple Watch users with the Series 6 or newer