Air traffic radar systems protected against 4G interference
1 min read
There has been a lot of publicity about the potential interference between the UK's emerging 4G mobile phone network and Freeview digital tv transmissions. But it appears the problem has also encapsulated air traffic management systems.
Selex ES has completed the first phase of a project in which it is upgrading more than half of the UK's air traffic management S-band radars to protect them from potential disruptions caused by the 4G mobile network.
Air Traffic Management radars operate in the 2.7GHz band and can be disrupted by 'noise' from the 2.6GHz band used by the 4G network. Selex ES has developed a protection solution, known as 'remediation', for four UK based radar types – the Watchman, S511, AR15 and ATCR33 – which represent more than 50% of the UK's air traffic management radars. Once protected, the radars can operate in the 2.7 to 3.6MHz band.
Phase one means radars in London and the South East of England will be ready for 4G to go live on 29 August. Meanwhile, Selex ES says it is ahead of schedule on the rest of the project, in which it will modify radars as far apart as the Shetland Islands and Newquay as 4G is rolled out.
