Smart Airport Agile Network Solution

Huawei’s Smart Airport Agile Network Solution helps airports ensure more reliable, smart, and simplified businesses; provide personalized services for passengers; and reduce O&M pressure.

In recent years, requirements for ICT-based smart airport construction have evolved and continue to do so. Civil airports require high network reliability and real-time performance for their business systems. ICT-based systems help optimize airport business processes, provide digital operation and dispatching tools for airport staff, and provide Office Automation (OA), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), analysis, and decision-making assistance for airport management personnel, thereby ensuring stable and efficient airport operations. These systems, however, cannot function well without an agile and intelligent network.

Attempts to construct ICT-based smart airport systems face the following challenges:

Airport services need to be integrated from several networks. Multiple services are carried on a unified carrier network to simplify network O&M and reduce TCO. Services on the same network have different Quality of Service (QoS) levels and are isolated to ensure security.
Airlines need to connect their check-in, boarding, and ground handling services to airports’ networks through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). This isolates various tenants and ensures secure data transmission channels.
Development of smart operations and smart services result in ever-increasing network requirements.

Solutions:

The Airport Agile Network Solution improves the overall efficiency of airport operations. Data centers implement integration of operations for multiple terminal buildings. Backbone networks ensure interconnectivity of resources such as for the data center, airfield, terminal buildings, and maintenance areas. Campus networks at terminal buildings provide access to a wide variety of terminal devices.
Huawei streamlines terminal building networks into five subnets: Production network, Departure Control System (DCS) network, security protection network, integrated service network, and external service network. The subnets are physically isolated to provide the greatest degree of cyber security.
For customers outside China, Huawei’s ‘dual-core’ backbone network is designed to meet their particular requirements and ensure interconnected airport businesses. A single business network carries multiple services. Critical services are given higher priority, guaranteed by QoS levels. The Public Address (PA) network enables communication on the Layer 2 network and security isolation, preventing voice distortion. A shared airport network provides Internet connections for office and on-site operations by the airlines and other airport-stationed units.
Huawei provides an airport high-density Wi-Fi solution for full coverage in complex outdoor scenarios and high-density indoor scenarios such as the check-in lobby, security checkpoints, and waiting areas. The solution effectively reduces interference and costs.
Diversified security policies ensure the security of wireless networks. Seamless roaming delivers a better user experience. Airport operation services and passengers’ Internet surfing services are connected to different APs to ensure service security. Powerful user management measures guarantee the continuity of data services and improve user experiences.