NEW DELHI: The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has directed telecom service providers (TSPs) not to set up any 5G sites in C-band around the airport in the country. In a letter to the telcos, DoT advised them to avoid installing any 5G sites in the 3,300-3,670 MHz band (C-band) within 2.1 kilometres of both ends of the runway at any airport.
This means areas in the vicinity of the airports won’t get 5G services for now. “5G base stations can be set up in the periphery of 540 metres after this 2.1 kms range. However, power emission has to be restricted to 58 dBm/MHz,” said the DoT in a letter to telecom operators.
The tussle between the aviation sector and telecom operators over 5G deployment around the airport began in the US when the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) not to roll out 5G in C-band or mid-band near airports.
In India too, a 6,000 pilots-strong Federation of Indian Pilots wrote to the Civil Aviation Ministry and raised similar concerns. Technically, C-Band is believed to be a sweet spot for rolling out 5G services for telecom operators around the world as it provides coverage as well as high bandwidth. But for aviation bodies, its altimeters, which allow pilots to understand height, also operate in C-band.