Don’t ground 5G

Rarely has an arcane interagency dispute proved so needlessly disruptive. On Dec. 5, wireless carriers had expected to begin rolling out 5G, the next standard for cellular networks, on a critical new frequency known as the C-band. The deployment promised increased bandwidth, faster transmissions, wider range, and new possibilities for wireless devices and apps.

In November, the Federal Aviation Administration objected to this process. It warned that emissions from the C-band could interfere with radio altimeters onboard aircraft. It suggested that 5G manufacturers and operators conduct added tests on their equipment and hinted that further “mitigation” measures could be on the way.

On its face, the FAA’s concern isn’t unreasonable. Altimeters calculate an aircraft’s altitude, help pilots land in limited visibility, assist in avoiding mid-air collisions, and inform other safety systems. The FAA identified 17 on-board functions that could be at risk if an altimeter were subjected to harmful interference.

Yet the FCC studied this risk for years before approving the deployment. Some 40 countries have authorized the use of 5G in the C-band, without a single report of harmful interference. Moreover, the U.S. deployment includes a “guard band”—empty space between wireless and airplane frequencies—of 220 megahertz, up to twice as large as in comparable countries such as Japan.

The FAA’s position is based almost entirely on a single technical report that relies on flawed methodology, implausible assumptions, and extreme testing standards to reach a conclusion that contradicts years of study by regulators and industry stakeholders.

In an effort to ease this impasse, trade groups from telecoms and aviation industries have agreed to share data ahead of the next planned rollout date of Wednesday. An agreement—such as imposing modest restrictions on 5G operations near airports, as some countries have done—should allow wireless carriers to deploy the technology without being accused of putting lives at risk.

Further setbacks could impede companies making 5G-capable devices, producing connected vehicles, building smart infrastructure, installing cell sites, and much more. Such a dispute between executive agencies should never have gotten to this point.

Future innovations, are being jeopardized by a regulatory turf war. The sooner it ends, the better.