Two of America’s biggest telecom providers are seeing setbacks related to frequency acquisitions in the form of pushback from the Federal Aviation Authority about how new 5G installations might affect aircraft safety.
Today, Sean O’Kane at the Verge reports Verizon and AT&T have spent $70 billion to acquire C-band frequencies which would expand their 5G coverage.
However, these plans have been delayed to early next year because of an FAA special information bulletin, which reads in part:
“In the United States, there has been wireless broadband deployment in the 3.65-3.7 GHz band since 2007. The FCC started a proceeding to authorize mobile broadband service in the 3.55-3.7 GHz band in December 2012 and adopted final rules in April 2015 and October 2018. Commercial deployment started in September 2019, with no known issues for altimeters to date.”
While bids by Verizon and AT&T to solve this issue are looking desperate, T-Mobile meanwhile has the upper hand with previously acquired C-band resources.
The “Un-carrier” wasted no time utilizing its bragging rights.
“Despite record-setting, bank-breaking spend from competitors, T-Mobile maintains network leadership, underscoring the prescience of the Un-carrier’s multi-band 5G strategy,” spokespersons wrote in a press release. “$45 billion can buy a lot of things, but 5G leadership ain’t one. T-Mobile invested just over $9.3 billion in the FCC’s C-Band auction, selectively acquiring additional mid-band spectrum it will use to take America’s largest and fastest 5G network to the next level … Even as its competitors spent record-breaking amounts in the auction, T-Mobile maintains its leadership on mid-band spectrum.”
The current challenge to Verizon and AT&T is unlike various local issues, such as resident concerns about EMFs and the placement of small cell facilities in municipal right-of-ways.
It’s something that could make a big difference in the continuing rollout of 5G for a while.
Factor this into the telecom sector of your technology portfolio.
