5G Rollout Paused Near Airports

🗼🙅‍♀️ Yesterday, AT&T and Verizon agreed to delay turning on 5G service at some towers after airlines warned the rollout would cause flight cancellations. Both companies will still activate the majority of new 5G towers, but limit launches around major airports.

This is the third time AT&T and Verizon have postponed 5G service deployment. Earlier this month, both companies agreed to implement "buffer zones" around 50 airports and hold off on service rollout until today.

• The 5G C-Band service sits next to frequencies used by key instruments on modern aircraft, and the FAA has warned it could interfere with those systems.
• Airlines could still cancel flights as they await details from regulators following the announcements from Verizon and AT&T. They’ve said that operations would face significant disruption if the FAA imposes flight restrictions to address the agency’s safety concerns.
• "... on a day like yesterday, more than 1,100 flights and 100,000 passengers would be subjected to cancellations, diversions or delays," reads a letter signed by the CEOs from American, United, Delta, and eight other carriers.
• AT&T and Verizon say 5G tech is safe and has been proven in more than 40 other countries, albeit at much lower power levels than what's planned in the US.

+A key detail to note: AT&T and Verizon won significant 5G airwave rights in an $80 billion government auction last year.

+Go deeper: What is 5G?