ROBBRIEF
The temporary waiver opens a DOT run test of whether everyday cell phone bands can carry drone and general aviation safety services through October 2029.
The Federal Communications Commission has cleared a temporary, three-year test of whether the commercial cellular networks that already carry phone calls and streaming can support aviation safety services for drones and general aviation. The waiver, FCC Order DA-26-972, took effect September 11 and runs through October 1, 2029.
The test backs the Transportation Department's Mobile Network Aviation Assessment Program (MNAAP), a measurement campaign, not a service authorization. Up to 2,000 general aviation pilots and modules on up to 200 unmanned aircraft may participate at a time, each running a DOT app on a standard smartphone to report signal quality to a centralized database, according to DroneLife.
The waiver covers spectrum bands used by everyday mobile service: 600 MHz, 700 MHz, FirstNet Band 14, 800 MHz cellular, AWS, PCS, and CBRS. A waiver is needed because existing FCC rules permit airborne use in some commercial bands but not others, and modern devices auto-select frequencies, so an airborne device in the test could otherwise land on spectrum the rules reserve for ground use.
The program evaluates drone command and control, autonomous detect-and-avoid, electronic conspicuity, Remote ID, and counter-UAS detection and identification. ConvergeDigest reports the waiver does not authorize general airborne cellular use; it creates a limited, DOT-approved test environment only.