Arizona-based Viavi Solutions claims it has devised a method to identify interference between 5G C-band communications networks and radar altimeters. The company which has experience testing wireless and avionics equipment for communication service providers, airlines, militaries, and equipment manufacturers, has developed a testbed to identify interference that consists of three of its products.
They include the Alt-900, which provides altitude simulations with true RF time delay and path loss models to test any format of radar altimeter system, including low probability of intercept (LPI), combined altitude radar altimeter (CARA), and next-generation variants. The Alt-9000 enables testing to assess, evaluate, and monitor the radar altimeter vulnerability to any potential 5G interference.
Other applicable Viavi technologies include the OneAdvisor 800, which monitors and detects channel leakage and frequency bleeding, as well as spurious emissions that potentially can impact radar altimeters, and the Ranger, which records real-world 5G signals and plays them back into radar altimeters to simulate 5G C-band interference. When used in conjunction with the Alt-9000 and OneAdvisor 800, the Ranger enables advanced testing under real-world conditions.
“We aim to help the industry and government regulators tackle any issues comprehensively, to enable communication service providers and aviation to operate harmoniously,” said Sameh Yamany, Viavi's chief technology officer.