Over six months after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) ordered telecom operators to avoid operating 5G networks in and around airports, there has been no concrete progress on replacing outdated aircraft radios to avoid interference with the new generation of telecommunications, according to a Right to Information response received by The Hindu.
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While smartphone shipments have plateaued in recent months, the inaction in making airlines replace or retrofit ‘altimeters’, crucial equipment that help aircraft land safely. Some altimeters might have interference issues with 5G networks on the so-called C band, leading to the need for airlines to make changes that will prevent these issues.
“The matter of replacement and/or retrofitting of aircraft altimeter radios in order to prevent interference from 5G telecom radio signals is under consideration and presently is at discussion stage only,” Ravi Krishna, the Joint Director of Civil Aviation at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in response to an RTI request filed by The Hindu. “The decision for action to be taken is not yet finalized.” One such meeting reportedly took place in April, but there appears to be no deadline for airlines to protect their aircraft from signal interference.
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The delay means that 5G-enabled devices will not be able to access fast internet at places where the need for such networks — and the potential for their maximum use — is among the highest. Typically well-to-do air travellers, among the likeliest to own a newer device that supports 5G speeds, will not be able to access 5G in most airports; transportation hubs tend to have high data use, necessitating better bandwidth like that provided by 5G networks.
Meanwhile, in the United States, a long standoff between airlines and the US Department of Transportation is coming to an end: after giving airlines multiple extensions to replace or retrofit their altimeters, the federal Department of Transportation is authorising telecom operators to operate 5G networks around airports starting February 2024. Under the U.S. government’s insistence, most altimeters have been replaced, and a few that haven’t will not be allowed to land in low-visibility conditions.
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According to a Wall Street Journal report, some airlines in that country may miss the February 2024 deadline set by the U.S. government to replace or retrofit their altimeters, which an airline association blamed on supply chain issues.
