AT&T and Verizon's 5G expansion is going to push through on Jan. 5 despite the earlier request of the Federal Aviation Administration or the FAA to delay its mid-band rollout.
A man stands in front of the Verizon logo at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona on February 25, 2019. - Phone makers will focus on foldable screens and the introduction of blazing fast 5G wireless networks at the world's biggest mobile fair starting February 25 in Spain as they try to reverse a decline in sales of smartphones.
The FAA previously requested both Verizon and AT&T to pause the rollout of its new 5G connectivity that uses different kinds of radio frequencies.
It comes as the United States agency raises its concerns regarding possible interference of the new 5G band with the safety devices of an aircraft cockpit.
AT&T, Verizon 5G Expansion Push on Jan. 5
This time around, both AT&T and Verizon have shut down the latest request of the US FAA to delay their mid-band 5G rollout once again.
The two US mobile carriers announced that they are declining the FAA's request for another two-week delay, as per the news story by The Verge.
Verizon and AT&T are rolling out the C-band frequencies of their 5G service to further expand and improve the ultra-fast connectivity in some areas that have been neglected by the current technology.
The new mid-band 5G service will serve as the middle ground of the two current frequency offerings, such as the slow low-band and the ultra-fast millimeter-wave high-band.
AT&T, Verizon Deny FAA Request
On Dec. 31, just in the nick of time before 2021 comes to an end, the FAA Administrator, Steve Dickson, and the US Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, jointly penned a letter to the bosses of Verizon and AT&T, namely Hans Vestbergand John Stankey, respectively.
The T-Mobile logo is seen outside a shop in Washington, DC, on July 26, 2019. - US antitrust authorities approved the USD 26 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint in a deal that brings together the third- and fourth-largest wireless operators as the industry moves toward deployment of superfast 5G networks.
The letter from the two government officials asked the tech execs to grant their request for another delay for their 5G mid-band expansion, which is scheduled for Jan. 5.
The government regulators further explained that the additional two-week delay that they are requesting is to give way to notify the potentially affected flights, as well as the priority airports.
However, according to the report by Bloomberg, the two CEOs who were addressed in the request letter from the US regulators, have been denied.
"Now, on the evening of New Year's Eve, just five days before the C-Band spectrum will be deployed, we received your letter asking us to take still more voluntary steps," the response letter said.
Instead of halting the rollout of the mid-5G service, the two CEOs proposed to lower the power of its C-Band connectivity for the span of six months.
It is worth noting that back on Nov. 5, both carriers have already agreed to postpone its 5G rollout for two months or until Jan. 5.
Related Article: 3G Network to Retire in 2022 with Tens of Thousands of Android Phones to Stop Working
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Teejay Boris
