As per industry sources, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has said that aircraft flying over India will not face any safety issues because of the upcoming 5G mobile services. The telecom regulator has also emphasised that the new age technology is safe for planes in the country.
TRAI’s statement has come in the backdrop of the concerns being raised regarding the safety of aircraft flying in the United States over fears of interference with navigation systems as a 5G network starts rolling out across the country. To this end, several flights to the US have been cancelled or rescheduled as airlines fear that the 5G phone service could pose a risk to aircraft instruments, impacting some popular jets like Boeing 777.
TRAI has ensured that the distance between spectrum reserved for 5G and that for aircraft is very less in the US, but India, on the other hand, has much wider distance and is therefore safe. In India, the 5G bands run between 3300MHz and 3670MHz, making a gap of 530MHz with the frequency used by airlines. This is much wider in comparison to the US where the gap is only 220MHz.
Meanwhile, TRAI has also affirmed that it will have the issue examined in detail for a concrete assessment. The Indian telecom industry also feels that there are no safety issues for airlines due to 5G.
The auctions for 5G spectrum in India are expected to happen later this year, following which the rollout will happen over the next 1-2 years.
