U.S. telecom operator AT&T announced that it will begin expanding 5G service in eight U.S. cities on Wednesday: Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Chicago, Detroit, Jacksonville, Orlando and South Florida. The expansion is so small because AT&T and Verizon voluntarily limited the activation of the C-band spectrum around airports after facing pressure from airlines.
In a press release announcing the expansion, Chris Sambar, executive vice president of technical operations at AT&T, said: Today’s introduction began in a limited portion of eight U.S. urban areas and will rapidly expand this year as we deploy it thoughtfully and efficiently. With 17 C-Band-enabled devices already available online and in our store, you can start experiencing those speeds today.
Just a day before Verizon and AT&T plan to roll out 5G on Jan. 19, major airlines warned against activating 5G towers for fear of catastrophic disruption to flights operating across the country. Air India, Emirates, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways canceled some flights early because of concerns that the 5G expansion could interfere with the radar altimeters that planes use to make low-visibility landings.
Ahead of the launch, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) struck a deal with the two carriers to create 50 buffer zones, and AT&T and Verizon would shut down transmitters for six months near airports with heavy traffic and often low visibility.