The FAA announces progress in expanding 5G service at airports.

The FAA said on Friday that it had reached an agreement with Verizon and AT&T on a way to expand 5G cellular service while allowing more aircraft to safely land at airports nationwide, cooling down a heated dispute between wireless providers and airlines. At issue were concerns from airlines and the FAA that a planned nationwide 5G expansion would threaten flight safety. The new generation of 5G service, which provides much faster access to the internet, uses so-called C-band frequencies, which are close to the portion of airwaves used by key safety devices. A day before the planned expansion last week, AT&T and Verizon agreed to a compromise: They would continue with the rollout, but would not activate 5G within two miles of some airport runways, in line with a request from the aviation industry. The FAA’s announcement on Friday suggested that all sides were progressing toward a more lasting solution. The FAA said that it “appreciates the strong communication” and collaboration from the wireless companies, which it said had provided more precise data about the location of wireless transmitters and had aided in a deeper analysis of how 5G signals interact with sensitive aircraft instruments. “The FAA used this data to determine that it is possible to safely and more precisely map the size and shape of the areas around airports where 5G signals are mitigated, shrinking the areas where wireless operators are deferring their antenna activations,” the agency said. “This will enable the wireless providers to safely turn on more towers as they deploy new 5G service in major markets across the United States.” Nick Ludlum, the chief communications officer at CTIA, a wireless industry group, said the agreement was “a positive development that highlights the considerable progress the wireless industry, aviation industry, FAA and FCC are making to ensure robust 5G service and safe flights.”<br/>