AT&T and Verizon agreed to barely delay plans to flip the change on their new 5G spectrum on Thursday to be able to therapeutic massage the Federal Aviation Administration’s considerations about how the deployment would possibly have an effect on cockpit security programs.

Prior to the introduced delay, each networks had deliberate to deploy their new C-band spectrum on Dec. 5. While Verizon declined to offer an actual date for when the brand new 5G wi-fi spectrum would formally launch, AT&T pegged its personal rollout for Jan. 5.

In a press release confirming the pause, the Federal Communications Commission—the company which regulates telecommunications within the U.S.—instructed the Wall Street Journal on Thursday that aviation security and know-how are “…“national priorities, and with today’s announcement these companies have demonstrated their commitment to both.”

“The agencies said they would continue working closely together to ensure the U.S. keeps pace with the rest of the world regarding the latest communications technologies, without undue delay,” the assertion continued.

At problem is the truth that some FAA officers worry that the brand new 5G indicators—which journey at larger speeds and permit for higher bandwidth than their 4G LTE counterparts—may have the unintended consequence of interfering with sure automated cockpit programs.

Although the telecoms business denies that there’s sufficient proof to assist the concept that 5G indicators would possibly disrupt flight gear, the FAA was planning to make a giant stink about it anyway previous to the introduced postponements, and had reportedly been planning to issue a mandate telling flight crews to restrict their use of the automated cockpit programs. Such limits, aviation business officers instructed the Journal, may have led to “…disruptions to passenger and cargo flights in 46 of the country’s largest metropolitan areas where the towers are located.”

“It is critical that these discussions be informed by the science and the data,” AT&T mentioned in a press release. “That is the only path to enabling experts and engineers to assess whether any legitimate coexistence issues exist.”

AT&T and Verizon have already deployed their 5G networks, however each carriers acquired C-band spectrum earlier this yr. The C-band operates at decrease frequency (3.7-4.2 GHz) however at an extended vary than millimeter-wave spectrum (the tremendous excessive frequency that allows gigabit speeds). The FAA’s problem with the C-band particularly is that it operates near frequencies that airplane equipment operates in (4.2-4.4 GHz).