Regulatory Alert: Verizon Announces Additional Markets for 5G C-Band Deployment

March 24, 2022

This week, Verizon announced that based on new agreements with satellite providers, the company will be able to expand its 5G C-Band network, known as the 5G Ultra Wideband service, this year to at least 30 additional major markets across the country, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Denver. Verizon has not provided a list of these 30 markets or outlined a timeline when the rollout will occur in 2022.&nbsp;

The 5G C-Band network was originally deployed&nbsp;by Verizon and AT&T on January 19 and is currently only active in 46 U.S. markets. The cities where deployment occurred are known as Partial Economic Areas (PEA) 1-4, 6-10, 12-19, 21-41, and 43-50 from a list that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has published here. Expansion of the network beyond these 46 markets was not scheduled to occur until December 2023. However, Verizon was able to enter into an agreement with satellite providers, which currently have rights to parts of the C-Band, to gain access more quickly to this spectrum and offer the 5G network in additional markets.&nbsp;

On March 24, AAAE participated in a briefing with FAA on ongoing 5G-related issues. FAA was unable to provide a timeline on when the agency expects to issue Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) for airports that may be impacted by Verizon's expansion of the 5G C-Band network into 30 additional markets. However, AAAE continues to closely monitor deployment of the network and engage with FAA to minimize potential operational impacts on the airports that have been or will be affected by either the initial rollout or any future expansion of the network.

Other FAA 5G Developments:&nbsp;While FAA had minimal details regarding the impact of Verizon's announcement, the agency was able to provide an update on other 5G-related developments, including three discussion points that were noteworthy for the airport community:&nbsp;

-Extending Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs). This week, FAA extended all the AMOC approvals that have been issued to aircraft manufacturers and set April 30 as the new expiration date for the approvals. AMOCs are issued to aircraft manufacturers and allow operators to continue operating in low-visibility conditions at airports with 5G Instrument Approach Procedure (IAP) NOTAMs. Unfortunately, Verizon and AT&T continue to establish new 5G towers in the 46 markets where the C-Band is authorized to be deployed. These new towers are being activated at the beginning of each month and require FAA to regularly ensure that the towers do not impact aircraft operations and AMOC approvals do not need to be modified.&nbsp;

-Retrofitting Existing Aircraft. Within the next several weeks, FAA is expected to approve retrofit modifications, such as filters, to aircraft and their radio altimeters that will improve their performance while operating in the airport environment and in close proximity to 5G C-Band antennas. However, FAA could not provide a timeline on how quickly manufacturers and operators could retrofit their aircraft. FAA was also unable to detail how effective the retrofit options would be at making existing radio altimeters resistant to potential C-Band interference. One of the challenges is that a significant portion of this information and data is proprietary to the applicant applying to FAA for an approval.&nbsp;

-Working Toward Long-Term Solutions. FAA discussed the need for the agency to ensure there are long-term solutions implemented to mitigate concerns over potential 5G C-Band interference. FAA continues to conduct flight testing to better understand how aircraft are performing in a C-Band environment; work closely with Verizon, AT&T, and now T-Mobile to share information and data; and develop performance requirements and standards for future C-Band resistant altimeters. FAA also acknowledged the need for the agency and telecoms to have a clear path forward after July, which is the timeframe when Verizon and AT&T may activate 5G antennas near airports that were temporarily deactivated to minimize operational impacts.&nbsp;

What's Next? AAAE continues to work with FAA and its partners in the aviation industry to ensure that the federal government develops and implements long-term, permanent solutions that allow aviation and 5G to safely co-exist. This includes protecting airport operations by creating sufficiently sized “buffer zones“ around runways until all affected aircraft have been retrofitted with C-Band resistant altimeters. In the meantime, we urge airports to monitor FAA's 5G dashboard, which identifies the airport runways located in the 5G C-Band environment where each FAA-approved aircraft model is permitted to conduct low-visibility operations, and advise us if your airport is experiencing operational disruptions due to the ongoing deployment of the 5G C-Band network.&nbsp;