UN agencies warn of rising threats to satellite navigation systems

• Published On: 27 March 2025 at 06:30

The International Civil Aviation Organisation, the International Telecommunication Union, and the International Maritime Organisation have issued a joint statement expressing "grave concern" about the growing number of jamming and spoofing attacks that disrupt vital satellite navigation systems around the world.

The agencies warned that such interference poses serious threats to aviation safety, maritime operations, and emergency response systems. They are urging governments to take immediate action to strengthen protections for Radio Navigation Satellite Service frequency bands.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are critical Earth-orbiting satellites that provide positioning, navigation, and timing services worldwide. These systems are critical to the safety and efficiency of civilian aircraft, maritime vessels, humanitarian aid operations, and the coordination of telecommunications networks.

While emphasising the importance of action, ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin stated:

"Global Navigation Satellite Systems are essential for our safety on land, sea, and in the air. Member States must ensure that these systems operate continuously in order to protect everyone's safety and the resilience of essential services on which we rely every day."

The joint statement, signed by the three UN agencies, outlines several key recommendations for Member States: protect RNSS from transmissions that could cause harmful interference, disrupting or misleading signals used for civilian and humanitarian purposes; improve the resilience of systems that rely on RNSS for navigation, positioning, and timing, especially in the face of interference; maintain sufficient conventional navigation infrastructure to support contingency

"Protecting radiocommunications from harmful interference is central to the ITU mission. We urge our Members to use the radiofrequency spectrum responsibly, as it is a shared and valuable resource required for communication, travel, and daily activities," said Mario Maniewicz, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau.

Jamming devices are frequently used for military and security purposes, such as disrupting enemy communications or radar or preventing unauthorised transmissions in restricted areas like prisons or exam halls.

Jamming is the practice of transmitting signals without their proper identification. Spoofing, on the other hand, entails sending out GNSS-like signals that confuse GNSS receivers in vessels or aircraft, causing them to provide incorrect location data and guidance.