5G Networks in India Won’t Interfere with Flight Altimeters, Confirms ITU-APT

Last Updated on January 24, 2022 by Anu Joy

Last week, Air India had cancelled some flights to the US due to the C-band 5G rollout, stating that it could interfere with radar altimeters on the planes. Just days after, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) India said that the Indian 5G spectrum will have sufficient protections and won’t interfere with aircraft altimeters.

Effect of 5G on Aviation

On January 18, United Airlines had warned that the 5G rollout plan by major carriers in the US will have a “devastating impact on aviation”. The frequency band used by radio altimeters in aircrafts worldwide is 4200 to 4400MHz.  In the US, the C-band 5G spectrum lies from 3700 to 3980MHz, which is close to the frequency used by aircraft altimeters. These altimeters play a significant role for landing in low-visibility conditions, and interference from 5G bands could make air travel unsafe.

How 5G Rollout in the US has Affected Indian Aviation

Last week, Air India cancelled eight flights to the US on Wednesday owing to concerns over the rollout of C-Band 5G spectrum in the US and their supposed interference with radar altimeters. However, the following day, flights were resumed after the airline received the green signal from US authorities. It allowed the operation of Boeing Model aeroplanes that were equipped with the Honeywell Aerospace ALA-52B radio altimeters.

What is India Doing to Avert a Possible Crisis?

In the upcoming months of April-May, India will be auctioning the 5G spectrum, following which, 5G services can be finally rolled out in the country by the end of this year. It is to be noted that the C-band spectrum that lies in the 3.3 to 3.67 GHz will also be available for purchase in in these auctions. This is worrisome as the Federation of Indian Pilots has pointed out that this could interfere with aircraft altimeters, in turn posing a threat to flights.

However, India’s major telcos beg to differ. They pointed out that the C-band spectrum has already been rolled out for 5G services in countries such as the UK, China, South Korea, Australia, and Japan without affecting flights. Moreover, they claimed that C-band airwaves have been safely deployed in local airport radar operations without affecting aircrafts.

In India, there is no risk from 5G services to aircraft and we are fully safeguarded as we are only allocating 3300-3670 MHz, which is more than 500MHz below the altimeter spectrum. Thus, the C-Band frequencies that are being auctioned for 5G in India are completely safe and there is no risk to the civil aviation radar altimeters.

Bharat Bhatia, President of ITU APT

Our Take

A question that remains unanswered is—why didn’t the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) account for a sufficient spectrum buffer while auctioning off the multi-billion-dollar C-Band Spectrum last year? At the very least, the US aircraft industry should have raised questions regarding the C-Band 5G spectrum’s interference with altimeters back then. Fortunately, it appears that India is not considering frequencies above 3.7 GHz for public 5G services currently, which could provide enough buffer to prevent altimeter interference.

Do you think India will face similar issues as the US when 5G finally rolls out in India? Let us know in the comments.