The Directorate of Civil Aviation (DCA) has been designated by the Ministry of Works and Transport to assure a safe, orderly, regular, and efficient civil aviation system in Namibia.
DCA plans to improve coverage and modernise the entire ATC VHF radio communication network for the Windhoek FIR. Jotron and Teltech, a Namibian partner, have been selected to supply a turnkey solution for the entire project.
This project will be implemented in conjunction with two other projects; VoIP voice communication system (VCS) and voice recording system (VRS), in which Teltech will also conduct installation, commissioning and maintenance support.
"We look forward to working with Jotron on this project as they are the leaders in the IP based ground-to-air radios field," said Ralph Erdtelt, owner of Teltech.
The complete system is based on ED-137(B) VoIP protocol, and Namibia will be the first country in Africa that will utilise ED-137(B) protocol for all communication throughout the network. The solution will also integrate existing analogue radios to the VoIP system using a radio gateway (RGW) that efficiently converts an analogue radio interface into a fully compliant ED-137(B) solution.
"Jotron is proud to take part in the modernisation programme for Namibia and we believe this project will provide valuable experience to all parties involved regarding the utilisation of VoIP based ground-to-air communication in a countrywide network," says Roar Flaatnes, Director for Sales & Marketing for ATC & Costal Communication Division at Jotron. "Hopefully, other African operators will see the technological benefits of our equipment and consider following suit."