Washington, DC, October 8, 2020 – RTCA, Inc. announces the publication of the paper, Assessment of C-Band Mobile Telecommunications Interference Impact on Low Range Radar Altimeter Operations. This white paper was developed in response to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Report and Order, Expanding Flexible Use of the 3.7 to 4.2 Ghz Band released on March 3, 2020.

“We are pleased to submit this technical information to the FCC that provides a quantitative evaluation of radar altimeter performance during interference from expected 5G emissions used by the mobile wireless industry.” said Terry McVenes, President and CEO of RTCA. “A thorough understanding of the risks associated with this interference and the impact on aviation safety will be vital in bringing both aviation and spectrum regulators together to ensure that safety-critical aviation systems will continue to be protected for the purposes of public safety.”

Radar altimeters are deployed on thousands of civil and military aircraft in the United States and worldwide and support several critical safety-of-life aircraft functions by providing a direct measurement of the clearance height of the aircraft over the terrain or other obstacles.
This paper is now available here. Errata was issued by the RTCA PMC in September 2021 to correct one typographical error. It is available here.

Contact RTCA at [email protected] with any questions.