Telcos prohibited from launching 5G in C-bands near airports at present

The ban against rolling-out 5G close to airports would remain in place while the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) replaces the altimetre filters in the aircrafts.

In India, the concern over 5G and the aviation industry is still present. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) petitioned the Federal Communications Commission(FCC) to prohibit telecom companies from deploying 5G in the C-band also called the mid-band near airports, which is how it all began in the US.

According to a DoT letter obtained by ET Telecom, the ban against rolling-out 5G close to airports would remain in place while the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) replaces the altimetre filters in the aircrafts. The altimetre is a device that pilot uses to determine how far away the land is from the aeroplane.

In various regions of the nation, all Indian telcos are providing wireless 5G network utilizing C-band frequencies. Airtel is launching 5G capitalistically at no additional cost to customers while Jio on the other hand has begun launching beta services.

The Department of Telecommunications(DoT) has now instructed the Indian telecom providers, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea to refrain from deploying 5G in the C-band close to airports. To be more precise, within 2.1 kilometeres on both ends of the runways. The telecom operators have been advised not to deploy 5G in frequencies ranging between 3GHz and 3.67 GHz. This is done to prevent any tampering with the aircraft's hardware.

After this 2.1 kilometre range, the DoT has informed the telecom providers that they can deploy 5G base stations, but the power emission must be restricted to 58 dBm/MHz. This indicates that 5G services will not be available in the immediate vicinity of the airports.

This is done to make sure that the 5G network won't conflict in any way with the altimetres. The government aims to make sure that no risk is posed to the safety of flyers on these planes, even though the altimetres normally function in the 4.2 to 4.4 GHz range, leaving a big gap in the 5G frequencies.