Select Airport-Adjacent 5G Networks Rollout to Be Delayed

The game of chicken continues, on the eve of the twice-postponed activation date for some 5G cell networks. The networks have blinked once again, as AT&T agreed to defer deployment of certain towers near a few airports. The move comes following strong hints that unabated activation on the formerly agreed-upon date, the 19th, would result in a cascade of airline delays. Exactly which areas will be affected remains unknown. 

Earlier this week, airlines executives made statement imploring the government to once again delay the activation of 5G networks. “result in not only hundreds of thousands of flight cancellations and disruptions for customers across the industry in 2022, but also the suspension of cargo flights into these locations, causing a negative ripple-effect on an already fragile supply chain.”

In statements to media outlets, AT&T has said it's halting the activation of more towers than originally planned, alongside its companion in the dispute, Verizon, who said it “voluntarily decided to limit [their] 5G network around airports." There is a palpable air of frustration around the two, as the companies have spent the better part of 2020 onwards readying their networks for higher-speed, high-performance internet connectivity, only to be stopped at the 11th hour multiple times. 

“At our sole discretion we have voluntarily agreed to temporarily defer turning on a limited number of towers around certain airport runways as we continue to work with the aviation industry and the FAA to provide further information about our 5G deployment, since they have not utilized the two years they’ve had to responsibly plan for this deployment,” AT&T said to one outlet.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.verizon.com, www.att.com