With the recent cancellation of flights in the US amid the rollout of 5G telecom services, the Indian government is looking to address the issue before it allows 5G services to launch in the country.

The aviation ministry may hold discussions with industry stakeholders and the telecom department before the launch of 5G mobile broadband services amid concerns that these airwaves could affect airline operations.

Technical teams from various Indian telecom firms were also planning to carry out checks to examine whether 5G mobile signals interfere with the C-band of aircraft systems.

The US cancelled flights amid concerns the 5G signals in the C spectrum band could interfere with the functioning of the altimeter of the aircraft. An Altimeter measures the height of the aircraft above the ground and is crucial while making low-visibility landings.

The US Federal Aviation Administrator recently warned that 5G signals could interfere with an aircraft’s altimeter system. Earlier, the CEOs of major US airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and others, warned about the impending dangers of the 5G rollout.

US telecom majors AT&T and Verizon rolled out their 5G services and both voluntarily limited the activation of the C-band spectrum around airports after facing mounting pressure from airlines.

Air India, which operates flights between India and the US under the bilateral air bubble agreement, cancelled flights to American cities on Wednesday. Scheduled international air flights in India remain suspended since March 23, 2020. Other international airlines such as Emirates and JAL also suspended flights to the US.

A day later, Air India resumed its Boeing 777 operations to the US after authorities there allowed the operation of Boeing model aircraft equipped with Honeywell altimeters.

India plans to auction the 5G spectrum around the April-May period. India’s leading telecom companies Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are conducting 5G trials in various parts of the country and working on finalizing deals with gear suppliers.