Just, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has instructed that the new 5G technology could interfere with sensitive navigation equipment such as altimeters, which could lead to “destructive disruptions.

Airlines across the world, comprising India, are modifying their planned flights to the US due to the rollout of 5G by telecom companies near American airports.

Points to understand

• The high the frequency in the spectrum, the faster the service. So to get full value from 5G, operators want to operate at higher frequencies.
• Some of the C band (a radio frequency band between 3.7 and 4.2 GHz) spectrum auctioned had been used for satellite radio but the transition to 5G means there will be much more traffic.
• The new C band 5G service could render a significant number of aircraft unusable, causing chaos for US flights and potentially stranding tens of thousands of Americans overseas.
• The United States auctioned mid-range 5G bandwidth to mobile phone companies in early 2021 in the C band, for about USD 80 billion.

What Is C-Band?

C-band refers to the radio airwaves that operate in a mid-band spectrum frequency (between 3.7 and 4 GHz, to be exact). It’s considered the “global” frequency for 5G across the world — most global carriers deployed 5G in this frequency band as it offers more bandwidth, which equates to a higher system capacity at higher data speeds.

5G by telecom service providers has been a cause of concern for aviation everywhere, the situation is critical in the US, which auctioned 5G bandwidth in 2021 in the 3.7-3.98 GHz on the C-band spectrum range. This band is very close to the 4.2-4.4 GHz range in which radio or radar altimeters operate, airline companies have complained.

What are flight radar altimeters?

For all airborne vehicles — an aircraft, spacecraft, or even a missile — an altimeter is crucial to gauge the altitude and the distance covered.

Altimeters are of three main kinds: barometric, laser, and radio or radar altimeters.

Most commercial passenger and cargo aircraft use a combination of all these altimeters along with global positioning system (GPS) to determine their path, as well as factors such as height above sea level, presence of highrises, mountains, and other obstacles, and the likely flying time.

The radio or radar altimeter is a very small, low-power radar system that operates in the 4.2-4.4 GHz frequency microwave C-band. The high frequency of these altimeters enable aircraft makers to install small antennae that produce powerful signals that can be relayed quickly and accurately.

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

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