Wireless Companies Agree to 5G Airport Buffer Zones for Six Months

Verizon and AT&T agreed to turn off transmitters and make other adjustments at 50 major airports in the U.S.

Ashley Barajas

Monday, January 10, 2022 at 01:02 PM ET

Verified

Miami International (KMIA) is one of 50 airports implementing a 5G buffer. (Adobe Stock)

Key Takeaways:

Verizon and AT&T have agreed to establish 5G "buffer zones" for six months around 50 airports in 46 markets.
This measure aims to reduce the risk of interference from their new 5G C-band capabilities, launching January 19, with aircraft avionics, particularly radio altimeters.
The agreement involves turning off transmitters and making other adjustments in high-traffic airport areas to ensure aviation safety.
T-Mobile's 5G service is not implicated as it operates outside the problematic C-band spectrum.

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With the rollout of 5G C-band capabilities less than two weeks away, Verizon (NYSE:VZ) and AT&T (NYSE:T) have agreed to create 5G buffer zones in areas of high traffic to help reduce the risk of disruption to key avionics, and radio/radar altimeters (RadAlt) for six months.

Mobile companies are set to turn on new 5G C-band capabilities on January 19. Last month, the FAA issued airworthiness directives to help mitigate the concerns of disruption that may be caused by the new 5G capabilities.