FAA Estimates $26M to Update All Aircraft to Prevent C-Band 5G Interference Written 12 January 2023

FierceWireless reports on the Federal Aviation Administration’s “new directive requiring airplanes in the U.S. to install 5G C-band tolerant radio altimeters or compatible RF filters by February 24, 2024.” The directive “estimates that the total price-tag to make these modifications to airplanes is just $26 million.” FierceWireless reports, “That’s a small price to pay to put an end to what amounted to a multi-year battle between the U.S. airline industry and wireless operators.” The US aviation regulator “estimates that out of 7,993 airplanes on the U.S. registry[,] only about 180 airplanes will need radio altimeter replacements and about 820 will need radio altimeter filters” in order to “eliminate potential 5G transmissions in the C-band spectrum from interfering with airplane altimeters.” Tantra Analyst Principal Prakash Sangam said, “Clearly, if the FAA and FCC were working more cordially and put out this estimate much earlier, the issue would have been resolved without fanfare or public hoopla. ... In my view, the direct and indirect cost of all resources, including from the government, stakeholders, and media spent on the issue, is far higher than the paltry $26 million.”
Full Story (FierceWireless)