Governments have been warned to urgently enhance their protection of a critical radio-frequency band for aviation and maritime purposes in light of rising incidents of interference with aviation, maritime and other satellite telecommunications.
United Nations Agencies, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) issued the warning in a joint statement on Tuesday, saying they had noted with “grave concern” the rising number of jamming incidents.
“These cases of harmful interference are in the form of jamming and spoofing that disrupt Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) operating in the frequency bands allocated to the Radio Navigation Satellite Service (RNSS),” the organisations warned.
The joint statement, which was signed by the Secretaries-General of the three specialised agencies, identified five key actions required from member states as follows:
• Protection of RNSS from harmful interference affecting civilian and humanitarian operations.
• Strengthening resilience of RNSS-dependent navigation, positioning, and timing systems.
• Maintaining conventional navigation infrastructure for contingency support.
• Enhancing collaboration between regulatory, aviation, maritime, defence, and enforcement authorities.
• Implementing comprehensive interference reporting mechanisms.
IMO Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, warned that the jamming of signals could lead to groundings and collisions.
“The safety of seafarers and shipping relies on the resilience of systems to support safe navigation and communication. Interference with Global Navigation Satellite Systems poses a serious risk to shipping activities, which could cause collisions and grounding. I urge all member states to act to protect these critical systems.”
Ships and ports rely on GNSS for a wide array of applications relating to position, velocity and precise universal and local time that are used mainly for navigation purposes and, most importantly, on systems that are part of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.
Regulation V/19.2.1.6 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, requires that “all ships, irrespective of size, shall have a receiver for a global navigation satellite system or a terrestrial radio navigation system, or other means, suitable for use at all times throughout the intended voyage to establish and update the ship’s position by automatic means”.
The IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee recently issued a circular in which it “urged member states to take actions necessary to minimise interference coming from their territory” and to “consider issuing warning notices or advisories to mariners specifying the time periods and areas impacted by any known interferences to minimise negative effects upon maritime operations”.
It also called for states to consider enacting measures that prevent unauthorised transmissions on recognised satellite navigation system frequencies.
ICAO Secretary-General, Juan Carlos Salazar, said RNSS interference could impact aircraft operations far beyond the immediate affected area, creating potential safety risks across multiple flight regions.
“ICAO is fully committed to working closely with member states to implement these protective measures through existing aviation safety frameworks and standards,” said Salazar.
ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, said global navigation satellite systems were critical to safety on land, at sea and in the air.
“Member States should ensure the uninterrupted operation of these systems for everyone’s safety and the resilience of essential services that our lives depend on.”
