AT&T and Verizon Have Activated 5G in the C-Band in the U.S. Except Near Certain Airports

By B.N. Frank

American opposition to 5G deployment has been ongoing for years due to various significant risks associated with it including

• Aviation safety risks (see 1, 2, 3)
• Cybersecurity risks (see 1, 2, 3, 4)
• Environmental risks (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
• Health risks (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
• Privacy risks (see 1, 2, 3)
• Weather forecasting satellite interference risks
• Utility infrastructure interference risks

Studies have also revealed that 4G is still better, more reliable, and safer than 5G (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).  Regardless, yesterday AT&T and Verizon had permission to activate more 5G in the U.S. – so they did.

From RCR Wireless:

Verizon uses C-Band for major expansion; AT&T starts with parts of eight markets

By Kelly Hill

January 20, 2022

AT&T says C-Band is ‘turbo-boosting our 5G’; Verizon says 2022 will be ‘most important year in the history of Verizon’

Verizon and AT&T celebrated the long-awaited turn-up of their first operations in C-Band spectrum yesterday, after weeks of delays due to concerns about aviation altimeters being unable to screen out potential interference from cellular operations in the band.

Verizon is forging ahead with the execution of its plans to hang its network hat on C-Band. Verizon spent $45.45 billion on C Band airwaves, with clearing costs and incentive payments bringing the total to $52.9 billion. In presentations to investors, the company’s executive team has made the case that its C Band spending will catapult the company into a period of growth driven by 5G and unlimited plan adoption, disruption of the home broadband market via Fixed Wireless Access deployments and industrial 5G enabled by mobile edge computing — all of those with Verizon’s network as the centerpiece.

Yesterday, that network was activated. Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said its C-Band coverage extends to more than 90 million potential customers initially, and boosts its ability to bring Fixed Wireless Access broadband to another 9 million households. The carrier also announced a new unlimited plan for 5G-enabled business data devices, starting at $45 per month.

An ebullient Vestberg, in an Inside Verizon company video interview, said that 2022 “is probably [the] most important year in the history of Verizon. We did so many strategic moves last year, and they are all coming together.” The Verizon CEO added: “This is historic in how quickly we have done this and what is opening up for us.” And, he pointed out, “This is day one of the network, and we have so much more to do.”

WATCH NOW: @HansVestberg & Kyle Malady are live on an Ultra-special Up To Speed! With #5G Ultra Wideband available to millions across the nation, join our leaders as they discuss the news & learn more ???? https://t.co/EwXjUWV6kt #VTeam #ForwardTogether https://t.co/jzeA2zMgQ9

— Inside Verizon (@InsideVerizon) January 19, 2022

AT&T, meanwhile, is kicking off its C-Band deployments on a smaller scale, with operations beginning in parts of eight cities. While AT&T has its “5G+” service deployed via mmWave in parts of 44 cities and almost 30 stadiums and venues, its C-Band-based “5G+” has kicked off in “limited parts” of Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Austin, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; and Jackonsville, Miami and Orlando, Florida. AT&T says it already has 17 devices available in its portfolio that support C-Band operations.

It won’t be obvious to consumers whether their devices are operating in C-Band spectrum. For AT&T users, a device showing a “5G+” indicator could be operating in either mmWave or C-Band spectrum. Verizon users who see a “5GUW” indicator could also be on C-Band or mmWave spectrum.

The two carriers did make some additional last-minute concessions on C-Band site operations around 50 airports. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration now says it has cleared altimeter operations for devices installed in more than 60% of the domestic airline fleet, and domestic operational impacts appear to have been minimal. However, some international airlines, including Emirates and Japan Airlines, have reportedly cancelled flights to some U.S. airports indefinitely, or will only fly to those locations with certain aircraft models.

“The new safety buffer announced Tuesday around airports in the 5G deployment further expanded the number of airports available to planes with previously cleared altimeters to perform low-visibility landings,” the FAA said in a statement yesterday, adding that it cleared another three altimeters early Wednesday. But, it added, “Even with these approvals, flights at some airports may still be affected. The FAA also continues to work with manufacturers to understand how radar altimeter data is used in other flight control systems.”

In a blog post today, Ookla Lead Industry Analyst Mark Giles wrote that the last-minute concessions that Verizon and AT&T have made in their 5G operations around some airports mark a “breakthrough in a situation that could easily have escalated further and ended up in court, with subsequent delays to their planned C-band launch.

What impact with C-Band have? It may be obvious pretty quickly. Giles offered up a potential comparison with France’s transition from LTE to 5G, where 5G in C-Band spectrum was launched in late November of 2020 and showed “a considerable uptick in performance from day one.”

“The opportunity cost of any delay is significant, as T-Mobile continues to extend its lead on 5G performance, which has helped the self-styled ‘Un-carrier’ attract more postpaid net additions than its key rivals combined. This is why both Verizon & AT&T had little choice but to placate the FAA,” Giles wrote.

More in Ookla’s blog post here.

Opposition to 5G is worldwide and this has slowed and/or stopped deployment in some locations.  Since 2017 doctors and scientists have asked for moratoriums on Earth and in space (see 1, 2) and the majority of scientists oppose deployment.  Since 2018 there have been reports of people and animals experiencing symptoms and illnesses after it was activated (see 1, 2. 3, 4).  Some researchers suggest that 5G deployment may be contributing to COVID-19 infections while others say it’s not.  Nevertheless, there are health risks associated with 5G exposure as well as exposure to 4G and other sources of wireless Wi-Fi radiation (see 1, 2) and Electromagnetic Fields (aka “Electrosmog”).  In fact, last August, a federal court ruled in favor of organizations and petitioners that sued the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for NOT adequately protecting Americans from wireless radiation exposure (including 5G).  More recently non-profit groups petitioned the U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to declare wireless radiation an “imminent” health hazard and to start warning the public about this.

But faster speeds, yo!

Activist Post reports regularly about 5G and other unsafe technology.  For more information visit our archives and the following websites.

• Americans for Responsible Technology
• 5GFree
• 5G Information
• WhatIs5G.info
• 5G Space Appeal
• Stop 5G International
• Wireless Information Network
• Electromagnetic Radiation Safety
• Environmental Health Trust
• Physicians for Safe Technology
• Scientists 4 Wired Tech

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