Verizon will launch 5G service on Jan. 19 after FAA-sought delay

Verizon Communications Inc. is launching a faster 5G service on Jan. 19, honoring a two-week delay agreement struck with the Federal Aviation Administration Monday as officials work through airline safety concerns.

People in metropolitan areas around 46 major U.S. cities will be able to get what Verizon is calling “ultra wideband” 5G service starting at $80 a month. The service will initially cover about 100 million people, using a spectrum of airwaves called C-band, which promises to be 10 times faster that 4G connections.

The launch comes after airline industry groups and the FAA asked for a delay in C-band transmissions out of concern the frequencies may disrupt airplane radar altimeters and make landings unsafe. The Federal Communications Commission has deemed the airwaves secure and vowed to work with airlines to protect the public.

Verizon and AT&T Inc. have agreed to not put C-band transmitters on towers near certain airports for six months so that any issues can be identified and fixed. The offer is modeled after exclusion zones at airports in France, where C-band service is working and U.S. airlines are operating.

The wireless carriers originally planned to start service in December but agreed to delay their launch for a month so the airlines could examine the situation.

Verizon isn’t willing to lose any more time in the race to 5G. The company has watched T-Mobile US Inc. take a huge lead in mid-band 5G services over the past months. To catch up, Verizon spent a record $45 billion on 5G airwave licenses. These mid-band frequencies offer greater capacity and higher speeds than lower-band airwaves.

“We are excited to launch this because a significant amount of American citizens will be covered with this new swath of spectrum,” said Verizon Chief Technology Officer Kyle Malady.