Verizon 5G Gets Activated Despite Warnings About Airport Problems; AT&T 5G Follows Suit

Verizon 5G technology just got activated, alongside AT&T 5G, despite numerous warnings about potential problems with airplanes and air travel in general.

According to Gizmodo, Verizon's decision to go through with their plans for 5G technology will be the first time that "true 5G speeds" will be experienced by their customers. However, they'll have to make some compromises after facing opposition from aviation authorities like the FAA.

For instance, Verizon will have to temporarily limit their 5G deployment around airports. This basically restricts access to the new wireless tech to only specific streets in certain parts of a handful of major cities in the US.

According to FierceWireless, the limitations will stay in place until specific issues regarding aviation services are resolved. However, Verizon also called out the FAA and airline companies "for not yet resolving the issue," despite the wireless technology reportedly being fully operational in over 40 countries worldwide.

As for AT&T 5G, they turned their own network on as well, though on a relatively smaller scale than that of Verizon's. However, they did provide a list of the specific US cities where their mid-band network will be implemented first.

These are as follows: Austin, Chicago, Dallas Ft. Worth, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Orlando, and South Florida.

The aforementioned cities will serve as the first few, as the mobile industry giant promises to cover a total of 1,700 cities all around the United States this January. This will reportedly serve 90 million customers.

AT&T has also expressed its frustration at the FAA, which they say "failed" to use the last two years to plan for the deployment of 5G technology without disrupting critical services, reports The Verge.

For now, all those who live where 5G wireless tech will be first fully implemented will get access to wireless technology whose download speeds allegedly top 500 Mbps, and sometimes even go past 1 GBps.

What To Know About Verizon 5G And AT&T 5G Implementations

According to CBS News, there are multiple things people will need to do before they access 5G. First off, a 5G-enabled device with a mobile plan that offers 5G access is required. Fortunately, any smartphone or mobile device bought last year will have 5G support out of the box.

Here's a list of the devices which will work with both AT&T and Verizon's 5G networks:

• All Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models

• Samsung's Galaxy S21 series, including the S21 FE 5G

• Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Fold 3

• Galaxy A13 5G

• All 5G-capable iPad models

Is 5G Even Really Troublesome To Airplanes?

According to warnings issued by the FAA, 5G's C-band (which helps 5G expand its overall coverage and speeds) has the potential to interfere with radio altimeters.

VOX writes that these altimeters, which are instruments that tell how high off the ground aircraft are, might not work properly with C-band already activated. Apparently, the dangers are pronounced enough that multiple flight cancellations in airports close to 5G antennas were reported recently.

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Written by RJ Pierce