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KAUST Mathematical Model Tackles 5G Interference With Aircraft
The simulations showed that one tower inside the exclusion zone could reduce 5G efficiency by 20%, and up to 50% with three towers.
As 5G networks expand worldwide, concerns over aviation safety have sharpened. At the center is the risk that 5G signals may interfere with aircraft radio altimeters — instruments critical for determining altitude during landings and in low-visibility conditions. A research team at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has now come up with a mathematical model to prevent such conflicts, aiming to protect aviation systems while preserving strong network performance.
The study, published in IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, introduces the idea of an ideal exclusion zone. These zones define areas near airports where higher-frequency 5G signals should be restricted to reduce interference. The approach offers regulators a framework for balancing passenger safety with mobile connectivity demands.
Led by Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini, the KAUST team is the first to use stochastic geometry — a mathematical tool for modelling random network layouts — to forecast how 5G transmissions might overlap with radio altimeter signals. “5G operates near the same bandwidth as aircraft radio altimeters, which may cause signal interference,” explained Alouini. “This highlights the need to establish exclusion zones to reduce interference levels”.
The research suggests that triangular-shaped exclusion zones provide the best compromise, offering effective shielding for altimeters while limiting the impact on mobile networks. Within these areas, regulators could allow only lower-frequency signals, keeping higher-frequency bands that are more prone to interference outside the zone.
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Simulation results underscored the stakes. A single 5G tower placed inside the exclusion zone was shown to reduce overall efficiency by 20%, while three towers could slash performance by as much as 50%.
The project, supported by Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST), positions the Kingdom at the forefront of a global debate. As countries refine their 5G rollout strategies, KAUST’s framework could help regulators worldwide protect aviation safety without stalling digital infrastructure progress.
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Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.
Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.
The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc
— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026
“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.
Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.
Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget
The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.
Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
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