IATA warns of 5G safety risks as Ghana considers future network rollout

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and national regulators worldwide to strengthen technical safeguards that protect aircraft safety systems as global telecommunications providers expand next-generation 5G and 6G networks.

IATA’s appeal, outlined in a working paper submitted to the ongoing ITU Working Party 5B Meeting in Geneva (18–27 November 2025), highlights mounting concerns that high-powered 5G/6G signals operating close to aviation frequencies could interfere with radio altimeters, a critical safety device used during take-off, landing, taxi, go-arounds and adverse weather operations.

Radio altimeters operate within the 4.2–4.4 GHz band, immediately adjacent to spectrum blocks telecom operators worldwide seek to expand for 5G use. IATA stresses that decisions taken now will shape global aviation safety for decades.

“The benefits of 5G and 6G can never come at the cost of aviation safety,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security, noted in a statement sent to AviationGhana. “Spectrum decisions must be based on real-world aircraft operations, not idealized telecommunications modelling. WRC-27 must deliver clear global rules to ensure the safe coexistence of radio altimeters and next-generation telecom networks.”

IATA warns that several countries are approaching deadlines for temporary mitigation measures, such as reduced 5G transmitter power, runway exclusion zones, and antenna tilt limits, that will expire. Canada’s measures end in January 2026, Australia’s in April 2026, and the United States plans to remove its protections by 2028 as it prepares to auction the Upper C-Band (3.98–4.2 GHz).

Compounding the challenge, more resilient next-generation radio altimeters will not be widely available to airlines until the early 2030s, creating, as IATA describes, a “significant mitigation gap.”

“Current 5G mitigations were never designed as a long-term solution… regulators must not assume safety will take care of itself,” Careen added.

A Warning Signal for Ghana
Ghana, where 5G has not yet been rolled out, remains in a unique position. A previous government committee tasked with overseeing Ghana’s 5G deployment produced no concrete results, leaving the country reliant on existing 4G networks operated by MTN, Vodafone, and others.

IATA’s global safety warning should guide Ghana’s future decisions if the country revisits the expensive, technically complex rollout of 5G infrastructure. As one of West Africa’s leading aviation hubs, Ghana must ensure that any future spectrum allocation aligns with international aircraft safety requirements to avoid the operational disruptions and safety concerns already confronted in other markets.

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