AT&T to delay some 5G deployment in bid to address aviation standoff

FILE PHOTO: The company logo for AT&T is displayed on a screen on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., September 18, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - AT&T said Tuesday it had voluntarily agreed to temporarily defer turning on a limited number of towers around certain airport runways in a bid to address an aviation safety standoff.

"We are frustrated by the FAA’s inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done, which is to safely deploy 5G technology without disrupting aviation services, and we urge it do so in a timely manner," AT&T said Tuesday. "We are launching our advanced 5G services everywhere else as planned with the temporary exception of this limited number of towers."