As the debate over whether terrestrial C-Band cellular networks can safely co-exist with aviation altimeters continues to play out — and carriers put off lighting up towers near some U.S. airports to accommodate concerns about interference — Viavi Solutions says it has put together a testing set-up for 5G C-Band/altimeter interactions that draws on its experience in testing both avionics equipment and wireless telecommunications networks.
“Any potential [C-Band/aviation] interference would occur in a very narrow band of radio frequency, one that is technically not even part of the C-band (3.7-3.98 GHz) being utilized by communication service providers,” Viavi said in a release. It noted that the radar altimeter systems involved operate at 4.2-4.4 GHz, which in terms of radio frequency distance is several hundred megahertz away from current C-Band operations. However, the test company added, “there is potential for interference from the edges of these bands, which can be mitigated by testing and adjusting both 5G networks and [radar altimeter] systems prior to live deployment.”
