UN decries hike in satellite navigation system interference

The United Nations on Tuesday urged nations to spice up protections amid a marked improve in efforts to intrude with satellite navigation methods like GPS which might be vital for aviation and maritime security.

The UN’s Worldwide Telecommunication Union, its Worldwide Civil Aviation Group (ICAO) and the Worldwide Maritime Group collectively voiced “grave concern” at rising disruptions of so-called World Navigation Satellite Techniques (GNSS).

Amid rising geopolitical tensions, GPS and different such methods, that are used for weapons methods but additionally for an enormous array of important civilian purposes, have more and more been focused.

There have been warnings of elevated GNSS sign disruptions because the begin of Russia’s battle in Ukraine, in addition to amid the Center East battle.

The UN companies voiced alarm on the impression of disruptions to such methods, which they identified are used for all the things from the navigation of civil plane, maritime vessels and humanitarian help automobiles to synchronizing telecommunications networks.

They demanded nations do extra to guard the methods in opposition to so-called jamming assaults, which stop entry to satellite alerts, in addition to spoofing, via the broadcasting of false alerts that may trigger GNSS receivers in vessels or plane to calculate faulty positions.

“World Navigation Satellite Techniques are vital to our security on land, at sea and in the air,” stated ITU chief Doreen Bogdan-Martin.

“Member States ought to make sure the uninterrupted operation of those methods for everybody’s security and the resilience of important companies that our lives depend upon.”

The joint assertion referred to as on nations to boost the safety of the vital RNSS radio-frequency band, the place GNSS methods function.

The band must be protected in opposition to “transmissions that may adversely trigger dangerous interference degrading, interrupting or deceptive alerts used for civilian and humanitarian functions,” the assertion added.

It additionally urged states to “reinforce resilience of the methods that depend on RNSS for navigation, positioning and timing” and to report all circumstances of “dangerous interference.”

And it demanded they “retain ample standard navigation infrastructure for contingency assist in case of RNSS outages and deceptive alerts,” in addition to to “develop mitigation strategies for lack of companies.”

© 2025 AFP