5G signals may lead to unsafe aircraft operations: Govt in Lok Sabha

Minister of State of Civil Aviation Dr V K Singh in a written reply to the Lok Sabha stated despite being a guard band available in the frequency band allocated to 5G transmissions for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) in India there may be a possibility of interference with aircraft radio altimeters which may affect safe aircraft operations.

New Delhi:A review of studies and action undertaken by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of studies and action taken by other countries during the launch of 5G services on the potential interference of 5G C-band signals on radio altimeters installed on aircraft has shown that there may be a likelihood of such interference which result into unsafe aircraft operations, the Government informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Responding to a set of questions on the issue, the Minister of State of Civil Aviation Dr V K Singh further stated in his written reply that the DGCA has not conducted any study on the potential effect of 5G signals on safe civil aircraft operations.

"Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has not conducted any study on the potential effect of 5G signals on safe civil aircraft operations. However, DGCA has, reviewed the studies/action undertaken by various countries during the launch of 5G on the potential interference of 5G C-band signals on radio altimeters installed on the aircraft and risk involved in air travel," stated Singh.

"The review has shown that there may be a likelihood of interference in the functioning of Radio Altimeter installed on aircraft due to C-band 5G signals which may affect vital aircraft systems and can lead to unsafe aircraft operations," added Singh.

He further stated that despite being a guard band available in the frequency band allocated to 5G transmissions for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) in India there may be a possibility of interference with aircraft radio altimeters which may affect safe aircraft operations.

Asked whether the Union Government has taken any steps to address the issue, the Minister stated that the Telecom Service Providers (TSP) have been advised to establish safety and buffer zones in the vicinity of airports, restricting power levels of C-Band 5G transmissions around the airports and tilt of 5G base stations to an extent such that the 5G emissions do not interfere with radio altimeters.