Reliable communication is critical for any air navigation service provider (ANSP) and airspace safety depends upon it. Voice communication with pilots is always essential to safely guide them in the air as well as en route.
Alongside reliability, a good communications system must also be able to rapidly adapt to other air traffic management (ATM) technology requirements, including for remote or virtual towers, as well as support collaborative ATM working across teams, and of course withstand increasing security demands. Flexibility and interoperability is key and finding a system that can meet all these requirements can be challenging.
Frequentis has created a market-leading voice communication system that is safe, flexible, and user friendly, while also being efficient and reliable. The company has been innovating air traffic control centres for more than 75 years and has been acknowledged as the leading global supplier of safety critical communication systems.
Introducing Frequentis X10
Ongoing changes to the world of aviation require new voice communications systems, supporting both the classical and the future operational models such as virtual centres, remote towers and sector less flying. The new Frequentis X10 seamlessly integrates with other ATM systems, allowing new effective operational concepts while increasing safety and security.
ATM-grade resilience
Business continuity is key for safe airspace operations. The Frequentis X10 brings the resilience to a new level by implementing market unique multi-redundancy concepts. Based on the MosaiX service-oriented architecture, the VCS micro-services can be automatically distributed micro-services to a number of geo-distributed hardware clusters. Failure of one or even multiple data centers has no impact at all on the operational performance of the system.
In addition, the X10 uses duplicated parallel audio streams delivered via independent IP networks. This unique technology provides uninterruptible audio in case of sporadic network packet loss or even in case of entire network outage.
The market unique ATC-grade resilience provides the controller the confidence of safe airspace operation.
Security
The X10 uses a fully integrated security concept that fits into the ANSP security architecture. X10 offers an advanced approach to security which is designed for the use in critical infrastructure. Leveraging the ATM-Grade MosaiX platform the X10 provides strong layered security for all hosts and services. The integrated identity and certificate management of MosaiX automatically authenticates all users and services across the system and at different locations, allowing only known services to deploy and operate. This create very secure system that is protected against external and internal attacks.
Easy to operate, and always up-to-date
Using advanced software technologies and a distributed, micro-services-based system architecture, Frequentis delivers a resilient system that ensures continuous reliable operation. The use of standardised IT concepts makes it easy for administrators to manage the system operations and changes safely and continuously.
The Evergreen concept allows continuous security and functional updates with minimum effort. Evergreen works by unleashing the value of large-scale IT software deployment and update technologies to continuously keep your software up-to-date. It automatically optimises and maintains security and product updates to ensure that the best protection is always being provided.
Implementing the Frequentis voice communication systems
The Frequentis X10 system is deployed into the Austro Control IT infrastructure, covering 70 radio locations with 1,100 radios. The VoIP-based ED137C Frequency Service will be used in a double data centre configuration nationwide, with managed access to the radio infrastructure.
Ports of Jersey Limited has also chosen the next-generation Frequentis voice communication system to upgrade three end of life systems at its facilities to enhance its availability and performance. To read more about this, please visit our website.
The World ATM Congress
This year, Frequentis is once again attending the World ATM Congress that is taking place in Madrid from 21 to 23 June. After last year’s success at the conference, Frequentis will be returning to present products including its voice communication systems.
At the 2021 exhibition, the company introduced X10, the first IT voice communication system, to the market. It works alongside data centre technology to create infrastructure harmonisation. In turn, this helps to reduce technology costs while also creating an interoperable platform that uses ED-137-VoIP open interfaces and SWIM technologies. Interoperability between different systems is beneficial as it allows information from different sources to be shared on a single screen, making it easier to assess the overall airspace. The Frequentis X10 also comes with the most flexible HMI on the market, which uses context-sensitive gesture operation, putting us at the forefront of IT voice communication technology.
Visit World ATM Congress in Madrid, booth 526, to speak to an expert or attend new presentations in the Frequentis Aviation Arena.
