Do Not Set Up 5G Cities Near Airports: DoT to Telcos  

Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) have reportedly received a notice from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that restricts them from setting up 5G cities near airports. Bharti Airtel – the only operator to install 5G services at select airports – has shut down its base stations temporarily at five airports, including Bengaluru, Nagpur, Patna, Pune and Varanasi.

According to DoT, 2,100 metres (2.1 km) from both ends of the runway and 910 metres from the centre line of the runway of Indian Airports should ‘have no 5G/IMT base stations in the range of 3300-3670 MHz’. A 5G base station can be installed in the periphery of 540 metre after this 2.1 kms range, but power emission must be limited to 58 dBm/MHz.

This is due to the interference 5G signals cause to the aircraft altimeters. Therefore, for the time being, the residential areas surrounding airports within this parameter will not be able to use 5G services.

“The measures shall be adopted by the telecom service providers with immediate effect and would be applicable till the replacement of all aircraft radio altimeters filters is ensured by DGCA,” mentioned a Times of India report.

Lt Gen Dr S P Kochhar, director general, COAI, had earlier highlighted the issues telcos may face while executing 5G rollouts. The US Federal Aviation Administrator (FAA) and Federation of Indian Pilots had also voiced their concerns over 5G signals interfering with altimeters, which are crucial during a low visibility landing of aircraft.

In August 2022, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) concluded the 5G spectrum auction in which Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi) and Adani Data Networks bid for spectrum worth INR 1.50 Lakh Cr.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launched 5G services in India on October 1, 2022. In the first phase, 13 cities were selected to get the services, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune.

Airtel has so far rolled out its 5G services across 16 cities, while Jio has covered 46 towns. As Inc42 reported earlier, Jio is expected to first open an experience centre in Mumbai and plans to have a nationwide presence (starting with 1,000 cities) by March 2023. Airtel, on the other hand, has disclosed its aim to have a presence in over 5,000 towns and cities.

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