Wireless, Aviation Industries Still Disagree on Some Proposed Upper C-band Rules

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2026 – The wireless and aviation industries are still at odds on some parts of the government’s plan to open the upper C-band up to mobile carriers.

CTIA, the major wireless industry group, told the Federal Aviation Administration last week that its proposed operating standards were too conservative in estimating next-generation airplane gear’s tolerance to 5G use in adjacent spectrum, an issue it’s raised before. Existing altimeters, critical instruments that measure a plan’s altitude, will have to be replaced for upper C-band spectrum to be used, and CTIA wanted priority aircraft finished by 2029.

The aviation industry, for its part, sided with the FAA on its safety analysis.

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