The US FAA says Verizon and AT&T have voluntarily agreed to delay some C-Band 5G usage until July 2023 as airlines retrofit some airplane radio altimeters
The key change is a defined retrofit window: the FAA is pairing limits on some C-band use with airline work on radio altimeters, rather than treating the issue as a one-off network-launch dispute.
First-order effects
AT&T and Verizon will hold back some C-band 5G usage until July 2023 under the voluntary FAA-guided agreement.
Airlines must retrofit some airplane radio altimeters during the extended window to address the interference concern.
Second-order effects
The FAA’s safety guidance now constrains where and when the two carriers can use part of their C-band networks, tying deployment flexibility to airlines’ retrofit progress.
Airlines and their equipment suppliers face a clearer operational priority: complete altimeter retrofits before the agreed carrier restrictions expire.
Third-order effects
The episode points to a more durable model in which aviation-safety remediation and wireless-network deployment are coordinated on shared timelines, rather than resolved solely through pre-launch delays.
If this approach holds, future spectrum rollouts near safety-critical systems may require carriers, regulators, and affected operators to negotiate equipment-upgrade windows in advance.
The trend: C-band deployment is becoming a cross-industry coordination problem, with aviation equipment upgrades setting practical boundaries for wireless activation.
The @FAANews has not been transparent in their analysis and recommendations regarding susceptibility to C-band 5G emissions by Radio Altimeters. The corrective action has not been detailed publicly nor any address towards MOPS and continued airworthiness of functions that use RA.…
The Administration's turbulent & irregular approach to 5G continues - needlessly risking our global leadership. Congress authorized the FCC - not DOT - to set 5G power & operating rules. Yet DOT just supplanted the FCC's regime through a closed-door deal https://www.faa.gov/...
The FAA announces a longer-term plan to let aviation “safely co-exist” with 5G around airports. Telcos pledged to keep their voluntary limitations in place until July 2023, while airlines will have to retrofit affected planes with new equipment by then. https://www.faa.gov/...
C-Band 5G and the FAA drama isn't over yet. FAA announces that Verizon and AT&T have offered “some level of voluntary mitigations for another year.” C-Band around airports was supposed to be on hold until July 5, 2022. Now it is July 2023. https://www.faa.gov/...
.@FAANews announced that an agreement has been reached regarding the deployment of #CBand spectrum near U.S. airports. The following statement may be attributed to Craig Silliman, EVP and Chief Administrative Officer for @Verizon: https://www.verizon.com/... https://twitter.com/.…
836 days after the @FCC urged aviation industry to “take appropriate action, if necessary, to ensure protection of [altimeters],” the FAA says wireless carriers “voluntarily” agreed to delay #5G for another *year* as airlines retrofit certain altimeters. https://www.reuters.com/.…