5G Spectrum Bands in India Will Not Interfere With Aircraft Radar Altimeters: ITU-APT Foundation

Proposed 5G services rolled out in India will be in spectrum bands that will have sufficient safeguards and will not interfere with civil aircraft altimeters, ITU APT Foundation of India said on Thursday.
Several airlines have cancelled their flight to the US following 5G services roll-out in the country alleging that 5G signals could interfere with key safety equipment, altimeter, on which pilots rely for take off and altitude readings.

"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 500 MHz 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," ITU-APT Foundation of India President Bharat Bhatia said in a statement.

ITU-APT Foundation of India is recognised by UN body International Telecommunications Union and it works on spectrum related issues.

The aircraft around the world use the frequency band 4200-4400 MHz for radio Altimeters and the 5G system being deployed in the US in frequency band of 3700-3,980 is close to this frequency band.

"In India, the government is not considering frequencies above 3.7 GHz for public 5G services at present, the frequency band in question in the USA where this potential interference has been observed," Bhatia said.

At present, spectrum band allocation for 5G services is at a discussion stage. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has floated a consultation paper to take views of interested players for determining price and rules for spectrum allocation.

The spectrum will be allocated through auction after the government finalizes price post review of recommendation of TRAI.