Nigerian telecom operators on Wednesday allayed fears of 5G’s interference with flight operations in the country.

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) made the clarification in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo and Head of Operations, Gbolahan Awonuga.

There has been an ongoing debate in the United States over the risk of interference between 5G network and aviation equipment. Industry stakeholders in Nigeria and subscribers of telecom operators have also expressed concerns that the country’s aviation sector might experience the same issue.

The association said the context in Nigeria was different, noting that the guard band between the spectrum frequencies allocated by Nigeria Communication Commission( NCC) for 5G services and those allocated to the aviation industry remains in the region of 400MHz.

The allocation is in line with the guidelines instituted by the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC), the government agency responsible for sectorial allocation of spectrum and the NCC.

“This means that there is no greater risk of interference with 5G networks than there is with any of the existing transmissions taking place in the frequencies adjacent to those used by radio-altimeters,” he explained. “We fully understand why the suggestion of risk to the aviation industry is so emotive for so many Nigerians.”

He further stated that ALTON “is fully committed to working with the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC), the NCC and other relevant regulatory agencies towards providing as much clarity as is required to ensure that Nigerians’ have the information they need to analyze and understand these issues properly.”

The association also explained that they needed to highlight the major differences between the situation in the U.S. and the structures in place in Nigeria.

According to the association, mobile networks like radio, TV and other broadcast services operate using bands of the spectrum (frequency ranges) allocated by the government to allow the transmission of different services.

(NAN)