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India has just started rolling out its 5G network after much anticipation and years of delays. Service operators expect to have next-generation cellular connectivity in every town in the world’s second-largest wireless market by the end of 2023 at the earliest. However, while the rollout is currently in its early stages, New Delhi last week directed carriers not to: 5G infrastructure will be installed around areas close to airports to avoid interference with flight operations.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the government agency responsible for telecommunications in the South Asian country, has recently ordered telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea to install infrastructure to enable C-band 5G networks. It also directed three carriers to limit the number of structures installed beyond the designated range (more than 1.3 miles (2.1 kilometers) from the end of the runway at all domestic airports). ordered to limit the output of the equipment.
The restrictions were implemented in response to concerns raised by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India. In September, the aviation agency suspected that 5G networks operating in the C-band spectrum would interfere with flight altimeters, an instrument that helps pilots maintain the required altitude during flight.
The U.S. airline industry raised similar concerns in January when AT&T and Verizon launched their C-band 5G networks. In June, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that airline and wireless industry stakeholders have identified measures to protect commercial flights from being disrupted by 5G interference, and that AT&T and Verizon have identified measures to protect commercial flights from disruption due to 5G interference, allowing AT&T and Verizon to implement measures to protect certain airports from disruptions to flight schedules while minimizing the risk of disrupting flight schedules. announced that it has been given permission to continue to enhance its services.
Shortly after concerns of network disruptions arose in the US, India’s Telecommunications Minister Ashwini Vaishnav assured the industry in February that the South Asian country would not face such problems.
“In the US, especially on older planes, the altimeter frequencies are close to the frequencies used to provide 5G services,” he said at a press conference, adding that the frequencies used by flight altimeters in India are far from the designated frequencies. He added that he was away. For 5G services.
PD Vaghela, chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, made similar remarks in an interview with the Times of India newspaper in January.
“There will be no problem for India. On the face of it, there will be no problem for the domestic aviation industry in India with the rollout of 5G spectrum,” he said.
C-band frequencies (part of the mid-band spectrum) range from 4 to 8 GHz. U.S. carriers use the C-band, which consists of the frequency range 3.7 to 3.98 GHz, but may occasionally intercept altimeter ranges from 4.2 to 4.4 GHz. However, the Indian government has auctioned mid-band spectrum in the 3.3-3.6 GHz band.
Piyush Vaish, partner and head of communications at Deloitte, said Indian operators have clearly separated 530MHz from the international altimeter band. Europe, South Korea and Japan have not reported any interference between 5G and aircraft frequencies, but all have launched 5G services based on 5G bands similar to those allocated in India, he said. Stated.
Nevertheless, following instructions from the telecom department, domestic telcos are considering a series of measures, multiple sources familiar with the development told TechCrunch.
Airtel has so far rolled out the infrastructure to enable 5G connectivity at four airports in the country, and Jio is expected to make a similar move in the coming days.
Due to the restrictions, Airtel and Jio will have to reevaluate their plans. The former also requires the wireless to be turned off for the time being.
The DoT chief and the Mobile Operators Association of India, an independent body for Indian telecom companies, did not respond to requests for comment.
Experts believe it is unlikely that consumers near airports will have access to 5G on compatible devices.
The directive suggests users in New Delhi’s Aerocity and Mumbai’s Santacruz may not have access to 5G for some time, a source at the carrier, who requested anonymity, told TechCrunch. However, they said cities such as Bengaluru, where the airport is several miles away from local residences, would be less affected.
Deloitte’s Weish said current network infrastructure is unlikely to be affected by the restrictions, but construction of new towers near urban airports could be delayed for some time.
Even if direction is limited to specific C-band network frequencies, the impact is likely to be significant as carriers consider specific bands for widespread 5G connectivity across a variety of devices. Masu.
EY partner Amitoy Arya said the interference problem does not affect all airlines, but is limited to certain types of aircraft, so affected aircraft should be phased in while retrofitting anti-interference altimeters. He said that 5G can be deployed in a timely manner. He also suggested that carriers could be directed to operate 5G services around airports by reducing power levels and making technical interventions on 5G antennas.
“5G has the potential to alleviate some of the pain points for airports and airlines, including aircraft data analytics and predictive maintenance, autonomous apron operations, automated baggage handling, and AI-based passenger monitoring and screening. “We will identify ways in which 5G technology can be used near airports without compromising the safety and security of airports,” he said.
The DGCA is considering replacing radio altimeter filters on aircraft to overcome the hurdles faced by telecom companies. However, it will be several months before all flights have the upgraded system.
