The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has rejected a proposal by telecom operators to provide 5G services within airport premises using low radio frequency power output. According to a report in the Financial Express, the telecom operators had proposed to provide 5G services within airports without transmitting any signal to the airstrip or the runway.
Owing to the fear that the frequency can interfere with aircraft altimetre and cause disruptions, the DGCA rejected the proposal. An aircraft altimeter is an instrument that provides direct height-above-terrain information to various aircraft systems.
In November last year, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had asked telcos not to operate 5G base stations in the area of 2.1 km from both ends of runways, and 910 m from the centre line of runways.
Currently, the DGCA is replacing all aircraft altimetres to avoid interference. An official said, “The DGCA does not want to take even an iota of risk as this involves putting the lives of passengers in danger. Therefore, it does not want to talk about any low-powered connectivity solution as well within the airport building.”
Earlier this year, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had asked the DGCA to direct airlines to complete the replacement of altimetres in 18 months from September 1, 2023. However, officials said that it could take at least two years as there is a heavy load on both aircraft and gear makers to fulfil the demands of the US and Europe markets for replacing the altimetres.
Experts said the 3300-3670 MHz band for 5G services allotted to telcos will not cause any interference with the aircraft altimetres. Government sources said it may allow signals to interfere in the frequency of 3670 MHz, which is far away from the 4200 MHz band not auctioned in the country.
