AT&T, Verizon Agree to Postpone 5G Rollout Near Airports for 2 Weeks

One day after AT&T and Verizon rejected the U.S. government’s request to postpone 5G rollout over aviation concerns, the telecommunications giants have reversed course.

In a U-turn late Monday, the rival telecommunications giants agreed to delay the activation of 5G services near airports until Wednesday, Jan. 19, as federal agencies and the companies continue to adapt restrictions on the service in France to the United States.

The latest chapter in the negotiations came as a surprise given that AT&T and Verizon CEOs rejected a plea from Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Federal Aviation Administration Chief Steve Dickson Sunday to further delay the implementation of 5G technology, as reported by PYMNTS. The new services were set to launch Wednesday, Jan. 5.

In a joint letter to Verizon and AT&T Saturday night, Buttigieg and Dickson said while commercial C-band service would commence in January, there should be a delay in implementing the 5G around priority airports until there’s certainty that there will be no interference with electronics that pilots rely on for safe take-offs and landings. They asked that these sites delay the upgrade at least until the end of March.

Verizon said it agreed to a 14-day delay which “promises the certainty of bringing this nation our game-changing 5G network in January.”

AT&T went along with the two-week postponement but added that it is “still committed to the six-month protection zone mitigations we outlined in our letter.”

In a statement, the FAA expressed appreciation for the additional time.

“We look forward to using the additional time and space to reduce flight disruptions associated with this 5G deployment,” the agency said.

Verizon and AT&T have pledged to implement their planned 5G service modifications around airports this year. The executives said in the letter the service modification is already being used in France where it blocks 5G service around airports and limits connectivity within one mile of takeoff and landing.