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According to COAI, if the airlines have any concerns, they should test such concerns out by conducting simulated flights.
The government has been tasked by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) to run mock flights to see if the C-band 5G genuinely interferes with the aircraft. The government had advised the telecoms not to deploy 5G close to airports due to worries that it will interfere with aeroplane operations when used in the C-band or mid-band (3.3-3.67 GHz in India). The telecom industry association COAI, which includes Indian private telcos as well as other significant global telecom ecosystem participants, is reportedly not pleased with the blocking.
According to COAI, if the airlines have any concerns, they should test such concerns out by conducting simulated flights. According to the research, many European nations have installed 5G in the C-band close to airports without experiencing any problems thus far. The issue was that a crucial aircraft device called an altimeter will be hampered by 5G in the C-band. It is a tool for measuring the separation between an aeroplane and the ground.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had earlier raised concerns that 5G frequencies in the C-band would interfere with the radio altimetre frequencies inside the aeroplane , in the United States, the similar problem has existed. which forced the US telecom companies to repeatedly postpone the debut of C-band 5G.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in 2022, had warned telecom companies Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea in a letter to refrain from immediately deploying C-band 5G base stations within a proximity of 2.1 Km of Indian Airports because according to reports, C-band 5G might interfere with aircraft radio (radar) altimetres. Pilots solely depend on radio (radar) altimetres for takeoff and landing of the aircraft along with help to prevent colliding with mountains.
Both the pilot and the passengers would have serious problems if the altimetres' readings were tampered with as a result of 5G band interference. In order to determine whether the interference is genuinely present, COAI has requested that the government pressure the airlines to run mock tests. Although they both utilise the C-band spectrum, altimeters use frequencies that are vastly different from those being used by cellular companies. While 5G is being introduced in the 3300–3670 MHz band, altimeters work in the 4200–4400 MHz range.
The telcos have been unable to roll out 5G near airports for more than a year. This has an impact on both travellers and those who live close to the 137 airports. India is being rapidly covered by 5G networks, thanks to the speed of telecom companies. The roll-out of 5G in India began in October 2022, and millions of Indians across over 3500 cities now have access to quick and responsive streaming, gaming and working experience. However, this still remains one of several significant issues that need to be resolved.