As owner and operator of Germany’s largest airport, Fraport AG wanted a secure, reliable network that would cover all 2,500 hectares of Frankfurt Airport. NTT was chosen as their partner to design and build a private 5G network that would serve as the network base for connecting the technology needed to optimize airport operations. Being able to transmit large volumes of data allows Fraport to speed up work processes.
The following is from NTT case study:
Frankfurt Airport is home to airlines, air traffic control, police authorities, airport fire department and many more. And all these interconnected elements have to communicate to keep operations running smoothly and ensure safety.
The aviation industry depends greatly on communication and exchanging accurate, up-to-data information. “As an operator of a critical infrastructure, it’s really important for us to keep data safe and secure. And the best way of doing that is staying in control of the complete data flow in our network,” explains Fritz Oswald, Senior Vice President IT Infrastructure, Fraport AG.
While the airport buildings have secure networks, a network for digitization and optimization would have to cover the entire airport, including the apron, the runway and the perimeter. The planes’ wings block Wi-Fi signals, so technicians working underneath the plane can experience connectivity problems. In addition, large volumes of data from IoT devices have to be transmitted in real time, which traditionally requires a wired network. But laying cables would be expensive and impractical.
“The biggest challenge was to create a base on which we could implement upcoming technologies for the future. We’re already testing different new technologies for activities on the airfield,” says Anke Giesen, Member of the Executive Board and Executive Director Retail and Real Estate at Fraport. “The implementation of the private 5G network is the most important step for that future.”
The following video was shared to complement the case study:
You can read the original press release from Fraport here.
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