FAA Rules could Hinder Upper C-band Use, Mobile Industry Fears

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2026 – The wireless industry is unexcited about proposed federal operating standards for next-generation airplane equipment, fearing it could slow carriers’ access to a new swathe of spectrum.

The aviation industry is backing the Federal Aviation Administration, whose proposed rules CTIA, the major wireless trade group, is taking issue with. The agency is trying to accelerate standards for the new altimeters, which measure airplanes’ height off the ground, to accommodate a July 2027 auction of upper C-band spectrum.

The Federal Communications Commission is looking to sell off as much as 180 megahertz – a number the mobile carriers and airlines agreed on – in the band, which sits at 3.98-4.2 GigaHertz (GHz). Altimeters operate just above the band and the current gear can’t accommodate any interference from mobile use in the upper C-band.

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