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5G will not disrupt aviation in Indonesia: Ministry
Authorities explained that the buffer between frequencies used for domestic 5G services and for aircraft equipment was wider than in the US.
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Authorities say 5G networks pose no risk to aviation in Indonesia. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he rollout of 5G mobile telecommunication networks will not disrupt aircraft operations in Indonesia, according to the Communications and Information Ministry.
The ministry assured the public on the matter after airlines in the United States raised alarm bells on Monday that Wednesday’s rollout of 5G in the US would disrupt airplane radio altimeters, which are vital devices that gauge an aircraft’s height from the ground.
Airliners worried the frequency band used for 5G was too close to that used for altimeters.
Communications ministry spokesman Dedy Permadi said on Thursday that Indonesia faced no such problem as its 5G frequency spectrum was further apart from that used for altimeters.
“There is none of that issue. 5G will go on,” he said.
In Indonesia, 5G runs on the 3.4 to 3.6 gigahertz frequency band, while radio altimeters run on 4.2 to 4.4 GHz, as prescribed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This leaves Indonesia with a 600 MHz guard band as a buffer.
In the US, 5G runs on the higher 3.7 to 3.98 GHz frequency band, but radio frequencies run on the same ITU-prescribed band. This leaves the US with a slimmer 220 MHz guard band.
“[Indonesia’s] guard band is almost 3 times greater than that used in the US,” Communications and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate said on Wednesday.
He added that the ministry was working with academics and the Transportation Ministry to look further into the matter.
PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) and PT Indosat, which are among Indonesia’s three biggest telecommunication firms, launched commercial 5G services last year. Competitor PT XL Axiata launched 5G test runs that same year. All three are expected to expand their 5G services over the coming years.
Despite US airlines’ concerns, flight schedules showed no major disruptions on Wednesday after the launch of 5G had been scaled back near airports.
At 7:15 p.m. GMT on Wednesday, 261 flights planned to depart or land at US airports were canceled, according to the website FlightAware. That figure is less than the 538 reported the same day last week.
