AT&T said on Tuesday that it would “temporarily defer turning on a limited number of towers around certain airport runways” while allowing its new 5G wireless service rollout to proceed elsewhere.
“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,” an AT&T spokesperson said in a statement.
AT&T and Verizon, which were slated to start rolling out 5G service earlier this month and eventually agreed to hold off for several weeks at the request of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator (FAA) Steve Dickson, are now expected to begin deploying the service on Wednesday.
But patience is wearing thin as airlines and top Democrats have requested that both cell phone carriers hold off on rolling out their services in certain areas close to airports amid concerns over possible flight disruptions.
“We are frustrated by the FAA’s inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done, which is to safely deploy 5G technology without disrupting aviation services, and we urge it do so in a timely manner,” the AT&T spokesperson said.
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AT&T to delay 5G rollout near certain airports https://t.co/jyF3PnUml3 pic.twitter.com/DSRFaNaPyo
— The Hill (@thehill) January 18, 2022
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