03 January 2023
New Delhi has directed telecom operators to not set up 5G infrastructure around areas close to airports to avoid interference with flight operations.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in its recent order to telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, directed them to restrict their infrastructure enabling C-band 5G networks (between 3.3-3.67GHz) from over 1.3 miles away from runway endpoints at all airports in the country. It also ordered all three operators to limit the power emission of their equipment installed after the given range.
The restrictions were enforced in response to concerns raised by the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). In September, the aviation department suspected that 5G networks operating on the C-band spectrum would interfere with flight altimeters.
Peeyush Vaish, a partner and telecom sector leader at Deloitte, said that Indian operators have a distinct separation of 530MHz from the international altimeter band. There has been no reported interference between 5G and aircraft frequencies in Europe, South Korea, and Japan — all of which have launched 5G services based on 5G bands like those assigned in India.
Nonetheless, due to the direction from the telecom department, telcos in the country are evaluating a series of steps. Airtel so far deployed its infrastructure to enable 5G connectivity at four airports in the country, while Jio also planned to make a similar move soon. Due to the restrictions, Airtel and Jio need to re-evaluate their plans. The former also needs to switch off its radios for the time being.
Vaish stated that while the current network infrastructure is not likely to be affected due to the restrictions, new tower construction near urban airports might be delayed. Even though the directions are limited to the specific C-band network frequencies, the impact seems significant as telcos consider the band for widespread 5G connectivity across various devices.
The DGCA is exploring the replacement of aircraft radio altimeter filters to overcome the roadblock for telcos. However, it would take months for all flights to get the upgraded systems.
