Committee resolving the possible interference of 5G signal around runways

A multi-stakeholder committee has asked aircraft gear makers and manufacturers to conduct a study on the possible interference of 5G signal with a plane’s altimeter and the best possible solutions for it.

The panel, comprising officials from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has also asked gear makers like Honeywell and Thales, and aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus about required restrictions on signal strength from 5G sites.

A multi-stakeholder committee has asked aircraft gear makers and manufacturers to conduct a study on the possible interference of 5G signal with a plane’s altimeter and the best possible solutions for it.

The panel, comprising officials from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has also asked gear makers like Honeywell and Thales, and aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus about required restrictions on signal strength from 5G sites.

A base transceiver station is an equipment that facilitates communication between user devices and a network.

The development comes after the DoT in November had asked telcos not to operate 5G base stations in the area of 2.1 km from both ends of runways and 910 metres from the centre line of runways.

Further, upon the DGCA’s guidelines, the DoT had asked telcos to limit the radio power of radiation to 58 dBm per MHz at the base stations that are installed 540 metres around the surrounding area of the airport.

“It is not a ban but rather we have said that around airports the signal should not interfere with the runway and operations of aircraft,” telecom secretary K Rajaraman told FE.

“The industry has made certain representations to us. We have forwarded them to the ministry of civil aviation. We are waiting for their response,” he added. Last month, FE had reported that the DoT will conduct a detailed study before allowing telecom operators to provide 5G services around airports.According to sources, the 3300-3670 band for 5G services allotted to telcos in the country will not interfere with the aircraft altimeters but the government wants to be doubly sure considering that even an iota of risk could endanger the lives of passengers.

An aircraft altimeter is an instrument that provides direct height-above-terrain information to various aircraft systems.

One of the reasons for government’s concern is the poor quality of altimeters in the aircrafts as they are of old varieties. Considering the age of these altimters, it may allow signals to interfere even in the frequency of 3670 MHz, which is far away from 4200 MHz band, not auctioned in the country. Financial Express