• AT&T and Verizon to be ready to more or less fully roll out their 5G C-band networks by July 2023.
• The plan, according to the FAA, is the result of collaboration between regulators, carriers, and the aviation industry.
• It will allow airlines to turn on their equipment in “carefully considered phases”.

The FAA complained when AT&T and Verizon turned on their next-gen networks in January, and the providers agreed to build buffer zones around dozens of US airports.

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The deal was only supposed to last until July 2022. However, it was unclear at the moment how the situation would be remedied by then. The carriers have now decided to keep their C-band restrictions in place for another year in some places.

Verizon’s chief administrative officer, Craig Silliman, stated in a statement, “Under this agreement reached with the FAA, we will lift the voluntary limitations on our 5G network deployment around airports in a staged approach over the coming months meaning even more consumers and businesses will benefit from the tremendous capabilities of 5G technology.”

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For carriers, these adjustments were not very beneficial. The ability to employ C-band allows operators to make 5G a true step up from LTE in areas where mmWave isn’t feasible (read: most places). That’s why AT&T and Verizon spent billions of dollars acquiring the spectrum’s rights and installing the necessary infrastructure.

Customers residing near airports, however, have been excluded from the otherwise spectacular deployment due to the exclusion zones.