While many parts of India seem to be rolling out 5G in record time, the same cannot be said for 5G services in and around airports. But could things change anytime soon?
As many Indian news outlets have reported, the rollout of 5G services in and around Indian airports has raised concerns that the 5G spectrum in the 3300-3670MHz band could interfere with radio altimeters, which are important for aircraft. It seems that it has been banned due to concerns. Landing in poor visibility conditions. The issue was first raised in the US, and later the Pilots Federation of India was among a number of local industry groups to raise concerns.
The aircraft altimeters that these groups are concerned about are likely those used on older aircraft operating in the 4200-4400MHz band. These are said to have poor out-of-band reception characteristics.
In November 2022, India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) directed mobile phone operators not to install 5G sites in the 3300-3670MHz band within 2.1 kilometers of airport runways across the country.
Now, the Indian government has decided that all older aircraft radio altimeters must be replaced or upgraded by the end of 2024.
16 months after the launch of 5G in India, this comes as we reported that as of January 2023, the DoT had said it would take a decision on whether to lift restrictions. The decision took a long time. Ban on 5G near airports after conducting a detailed study.
Since then, there has been a lot of committee activity and some suggestions that some foreign altimeter manufacturers and their lack of involvement should be blamed. But it looks like people living near the country’s 124 airports may finally be able to use his 5G service from January next year.
