FCC identifies a path forward for 5G C-band near airpots

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced progress toward allowing Verizon and AT&T to enhance 5G service around certain airports while protecting commercial air travel from disruption by 5G C-band interference.

“We believe we have identified a path that will continue to enable aviation and 5G C-band wireless to safely co-exist,” said Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen. “We appreciate the willingness of Verizon and AT&T to continue this important and productive collaboration with the aviation industry.”

The phased approach requires operators of regional aircraft with radio altimeters most susceptible to interference to retrofit them with radio frequency filters by the end of 2022. This work has already begun and will continue on an expedited basis.

At the same time, the FAA worked with the wireless companies to identify airports around which their service can be enhanced with the least risk of disrupting flight schedules.

https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-statements-5g

FAA reaches agreement with AT&T and Verizon

Saturday, January 29, 2022  FAA  

 The FAA reached an agreement with Verizon and AT&T on 5G in C-Band spectrum near airports. "The FAA appreciates the strong communication and collaborative approach with wireless companies, which have provided more precise data about the exact location of wireless transmitters and supported more thorough analysis of how 5G C-band signals interact with sensitive aircraft instruments. The FAA used this data to determine that it is possible...

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FAA clears more aircraft and notes differences in U.S. deployments

Wednesday, January 19, 2022  FAA, FCC, Mid-Band  

 The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it has now cleared 62% of the U.S. commercial airplane fleet to perform low-visibility landings at airports where wireless companies deployed 5G C-band. The FAA early Wednesday cleared another three altimeters. Airplane models with one of the five cleared altimeters include some Boeing 717, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, MD-10/-11 and Airbus A300, A310, A319, A320, A330, A340, A350 and A380...

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FAA reaches agreement with AT&T and Verizon

 The FAA reached an agreement with Verizon and AT&T on 5G in C-Band spectrum near airports. 

"The FAA appreciates the strong communication and collaborative approach with wireless companies, which have provided more precise data about the exact location of wireless transmitters and supported more thorough analysis of how 5G C-band 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. 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."

The FAA continues to work with helicopter operators to ensure they can safely operate in areas of current and planned 5G deployment.

https://www.faa.gov/5g

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FAA clears more aircraft and notes differences in U.S. deployments

 The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it has now cleared 62% of the U.S. commercial airplane fleet to perform low-visibility landings at airports where wireless companies deployed 5G C-band. The FAA early Wednesday cleared another three altimeters.

 Airplane models with one of the five cleared altimeters include some Boeing 717, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, MD-10/-11 and Airbus A300, A310, A319, A320, A330, A340, A350 and A380 models.

The FAA claimed that it has made progress during the two week delay in 5G deployment, saying it has accomplished the following over the past two weeks:

• Received vital 5G transmitter location and power level information from the wireless companies
• Facilitated data sharing between avionics manufacturers and wireless companies
• Worked with airlines to help manage and minimize potential delays and cancellations in affected areas.
• Determined that some GPS-guided approaches may be used at certain airports
• Educated aviation stakeholders about what they can expect when 5G C-band is deployed on Jan. 19
• Worked with airlines on how they can demonstrate altimeters are safe and reliable in the 5G C-band environment. This is known as the Alternative Method of Compliance (AMOC) process.

The FAA is also pushing back on the notion that the experience of other countries, notably France and Japan, in operating 5G in midband spectrum is applicable to the United States. The FAA argues that deployments of 5G technology in other countries often involve different conditions than those proposed for the U.S., including: 

• Lower power levels 
• Antennas tilted downward to reduce potential interference to flights 
• Different placement of antennas relative to airfields 
• Frequencies with a different proximity to frequencies used by aviation equipment 
• The early stages of the 5G deployment in the U.S. will include mitigations that are partly similar to those used to help protect air travel in France. However, even these proposals have some significant differences.

https://www.faa.gov/5g

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FAA speeds up approvals of Boeing and Airbus aircraft

Just days ahead of the planned activation of mid-band 5G spectrum by AT&T and Verizon, the FAA cleared some Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, MD-10/-11 and Airbus A310, A319, A320, A321, A330 and A350 models to perform low-visibility landings at many of the airports where 5G interference is possible during certain weather conditions. This covers an estimated 45 percent of the U.S. commercial fleet where 5G C-band will be deployed on Jan. 19. 

The FAA approved two radio altimeter models that are installed in a wide variety of Boeing and Airbus planes. This combination of aircraft and altimeter approval opens up runways at as many as 48 of the 88 airports most directly affected by 5G C-band interference. 

As of Jan. 5, none of the 88 airports would have been available for landing during low-visibility conditions. The wireless companies agreed to create buffer zones for six months around airports where transmitters are in close proximity. They also agreed to delay deployment until Jan. 19 while the FAA reviewed new data detailing the location and power of wireless transmitters in all 46 U.S. markets where this service will be deployed.

The FAA notes that even with these new approvals, flights at some airports may still be affected. Additional aircraft and equipment clearances are expected from the FAA in coming days.

https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-statements-5g

FAA issues directives concerning altimeters and 5G

Tuesday, December 07, 2021    

 The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued two airworthiness directives concerning the expansion of 5G and aviation:AD 2021-23-12 for all transport and commuter category airplanes equipped with a radio (also known as radar) altimeter. This AD was prompted by a determination that radio altimeters cannot be relied upon to perform their intended function if they experience interference from wireless broadband operations in the 3.7-3.98...

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United Airlines statement on 5G

 On Monday, January 17, United Airlines released the following statement:

"The federal government’s current 5G rollout plan will have a devastating impact on aviation, negatively affecting an estimated 1.25 million United passengers, at least 15,000 flights and much-needed goods and tons of cargo traveling through more than 40 of the largest airports in the country annually. When deployed next to runways, the 5G signals could interfere with the key safety equipment that pilots rely on to take off and land in inclement weather."

"We won’t compromise on safety – full stop. But, governments in other countries have successfully designed policies to ensure the safe deployment of 5G technology and we’re simply asking the US government to do the same. Otherwise, the radio altimeters on certain aircraft, which provide information to other safety systems like autopilot, heads-up displays, terrain warning and pitch control, will be compromised and will result in significant restrictions on 787s, 777s, 737s and regional aircraft in major cities like Houston, Newark, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. Unfortunately, this will 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. We implore the Biden administration to act quickly and apply the same common sense solutions here that have clearly worked so well around the world."

https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/united-airlines-statement-on-5g-implementation

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Federal Aviation Administration to Migrate to Hybrid Cloud on AWS and Azure

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded a contract valued at $108 million to CSC to consolidate data centers and migrate FAA data and systems to a hybrid cloud environment. The CSC team includes Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, as well as other strategic business partners.

Under the contract, the team will use the CSC Agility Platform cloud management tool to orchestrate efficient cloud deployment while leveraging alliance partners for data and cloud services.

The contract could be extended, with the potential to reach $1 billion in value over 10 years.

“CSC and our alliance partners are demonstrating the unique value that we as a team can bring to deliver an innovative, next-gen IT cloud solution that drives the FAA’s mission forward,” said Mike Lawrie, CSC’s president and chief executive officer. “By coming together as we have, we are in a unique position to help meet the agency’s operational and budgetary challenges over the life of the program.”

“Government adoption of cloud computing for mission applications is accelerating rapidly, and we are pleased to help FAA’s transition to the cloud,” said Teresa Carlson, vice president of Worldwide Public Sector, Amazon Web Services, Inc. “With AWS’s security and compliance standards – like FedRAMP, ITAR and SRG – CSC will be able to rapidly enable FAA to realize the benefits of agility, cost savings, and flexibility.”

“Microsoft is excited to continue working under the leadership of the FAA and CSC to deliver a secure, cost-effective and intelligent cloud with our FedRAMP JAB-approved Microsoft Azure,” said Greg Myers, vice president of Microsoft Federal. “This builds nicely on our collective success in moving the FAA to the cloud on the productivity side with Office 365. As the agency now moves to a hybrid cloud environment and consolidates its data centers, Microsoft’s Azure will work across applications, software, operating systems, and data to ensure success in support of the FAA’s mission of providing the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world.”

http://www.csc.com/newsroom/press_releases/133565-csc_team_wins_federal_aviation_administration_cloud_services_contract_valued_at_more_than_108_million

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