Image: Norway Telecom Authority
What’s New: Officials in Norway have accepted that there will be no GPS service in their far north because the Russians are constantly jamming.
Why It’s Important: This is an indicator of the “new normal” for many parts of the globe. Maybe for everywhere.
- If you can’t count on GPS/GNSS in one place, why should you think someplace else is immune from interference? (Answer – you shouldn’t).
- GPS/GNSS are considered “safety-of-life” systems in many cases. Given the demonstrated vulnerabilities, we wonder if this is a good idea. But then, what is the alternative in many cases?
What Else to Know:
- Jamming, like they have in northern Norway is bad.
- Spoofing, which is becoming more common, is worse. It is “hazardously misleading information.”
- As jamming and spoofing become more common and widespread, someone is going to get hurt. If they haven’t already and we just don’t know about it.
- Two quotes from the article:
- “In Norway, you’re probably looking at a lot of airports that only have GPS approaches,” – No “probably” about it. Norway’s rugged terrain has made GPS approaches not only desirable but necessary in many places.
- “In Finland, even tractors capable of operating automatically have been disrupted. In May, the Finnish transport agency said the problem had intensified since Ukraine began targeting Russian energy infrastructure with drones…That same month, the agency changed its guidelines so that airlines have to report only GPS interference that has “exceptional effects.””
GPS Jamming Is Screwing With Norwegian Planes
So much jamming is taking place in northeastern Norway, regulators no longer want to know.
From the ground, northeastern Norway might look like fjord country, peppered with neat red houses and dissected by snowmobile tours through the winter. But for pilots flying above, the region has become a danger zone for GPS jamming.
The jamming in the region of Finnmark is so constant, Norwegian authorities decided last month they would no longer log when and where it happens—accepting these disturbance signals as the new normal.
Nicolai Gerrard, senior engineer at NKOM, the country’s communications authority, says his organization no longer counts the jamming incidents. “It has unfortunately developed into an unwanted normal situation that should not be there. Therefore, the [Norwegian authority in charge of the airports] are not interested in continuous updates on something that is happening all the time.”
