Remember the 5G C-band fight that erupted in January?
To refresh your recollection, the conflict arose from a disagreement between cellular carriers and airlines over the deployment of 5G C-band frequencies, which can interfere with aviation instrumentation.
At the time, airline CEOs predicted apocalypse, foreign carriers cancelled some flights to the United States, and one smaller airport north of Seattle cancelled all flights for the day due to low visibility conditions that planes could previously handle.
They eventually reached a deal in January, but it was slated to expire on July 5th.
The Federal Aviation Administration and telecom firms have reached an agreement in their ongoing 5G C-band dispute, but the airline sector isn't happy.
The operators of the 5G C-band networks in the United States, AT&T and Verizon, have agreed to continue reducing the impact of 5G C-band transmissions near airports for another year, until July 2023.
The 5G C-band controversy revolves around a radio altimeter, a critical piece of technology present in commercial aeroplanes.
A radio (or radar) altimeter is a device that precisely measures the height of an aircraft above the ground.
This type of instrument is critical in low-visibility situations because the data it provides allows pilots to do high-precision instrument approaches and even autonomous landings, allowing operations to continue even when visibility is poor.
Regional planes have been the most sensitive to 5G interference since the original (though modified) launch of 5G C-band in January.
According to the FAA, by the end of this year, the radio altimeters in those aircraft must be fitted with radio frequency filters that limit the impacts of signal interference.
By July of next year, other planes will require the same work.
In a statement, interim FAA Administrator Billy Nolen stated, "We think we have discovered a way that will continue to enable aviation and 5G C-band wireless to coexist safely."
"We appreciate Verizon and AT&T's commitment to continue working with the aviation sector in this vital and constructive way."
The airline sector, on the other hand, is dissatisfied with the revised deadline.
Airlines for America, the industry's lobbying group, accused the FAA of caving in to wireless industry pressure in a letter to Nolen sent around the same time as the announcement.
Avionics, according to the company, will need more time to develop.
In the letter, Nicholas Calio, the group's CEO, wrote, "Any compromise in this area requires serious analysis and rejection of haste."
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) responded to Airlines for America by saying that the industry had plenty of time.
In a statement, the FAA stated, "It appropriately represents the realities of the business, as well as the pressure for operators to convert their fleets as rapidly as feasible."
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