Earlier this year, Frequentis provided an integrated voice communication system for Daxing International Airport, as selected by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The company has already provided solutions for five air traffic control (ATC) centres in the country, with the latest installation being the largest so far.
Frequentis ATM executive team chairman Hannu Juurakko gave us a deeper insight into the solution and how it was deployed at Daxing.
Can you tell us about the networked communication solution deployed at Daxing and how it works?
Hannu Juurakko: Frequentis delivered the main and backup voice communication systems for the Beijing Daxing International Airport (located in the New Airport building and New Terminal Manoeuvring Area (TMA) building).
The scope of the project also contains a network solution, which connects three locations for ground to ground communication. All of them are located at Daxing Airport, as well as at the existing capital airport.
On top of that, Frequentis also delivered an emergency voice communication system for the new airport, as well as the new TMA.
How did Frequentis and the CAAC carry out product testing for the system?
HJ: Frequents invited a delegation of eight people from CAAC for intensive factory acceptance testing at Frequentis premises. This testing period lasted over ten days. The prior agreed test cases were focusing on functionality and, also, very heavily on failover scenarios.
How was the voice communication system rolled out across Daxing?
HJ: A very detailed planning schedule of the on-site actions was monitored over the whole delivery period. Frequentis started installing the main / backup systems in the new TMA building, subsequently followed by the installation of the network nodes at the existing VCS together with the necessary extensions.
Once the systems were set up, the integration into the customer network took place.
What are the benefits of using the networked communication system across such a large airport?
HJ: Frequentis delivered a very failsafe voice communication solution. The delivered network communication system is configured in a way that a very high number of failure scenarios can be handled without any impact for the operators. Our monitoring solution makes sure that deviations are visually displayed immediately.
How will the system adapt as Daxing expands to its full capacity of 100 million annual passengers?
HJ: The provided systems are fit to meet customers tendered requirements ensuring a high scalability. The network solution is highly customisable and ready for any future challenges.
How does the voice communication solution work with other ATC systems set to be installed in Beijing by Frequentis?
HJ: Frequentis is rolling out another project where we deliver main and backup voice communications systems at the existing Beijing area control (ACC).
Both systems will be connected to the new airport / new TMA / capital airport and, therefore, become the fourth location of Beijing Daxing International Airport. This will create the most advanced airspace communications network in the region.
How can Frequentis communications solutions help airports optimise operations?
HJ: Frequentis is acknowledged as the number one supplier for safety-critical communication systems globally and has over 70 years of experience delivering communication and information solutions to customers with safety / critical tasks.
Our in-house know-how, coupled with a single source voice communication solution reduced any complexity for customers. The Frequentis VCS3020X voice communication solution is used by more than 25,000 air traffic controllers and sets the benchmark among controllers in its approach to the adoption of new operational concepts like virtual centres and area control contingency solutions.
Hannu Juurakko is chairman of the ATM executive team at Frequentis. His background includes more than two decades in the telecoms industry, holding various roles in high availability mission-critical system development.
