Airways New Zealand Upgrades its Air Traffic Management Network with FREQUENTIS State-of-the-Art IP Technology

In 2013 Airways New Zealand contracted Frequentis to upgrade the current E1 based Frequentis VCX backbone to state-of-the-art and ICAO-compliant ED-137 based IP technology. The delivery includes more than 200 Frequentis VCX-IP ED-137 network nodes connecting voice communication systems, radio equipment, radar systems and other mission-critical equipment into Airways’ high-availability MPLS backbone.

Frequentis has pioneered the Air Traffic Management radio network market. As the global market leader in communication systems for Air Traffic Control and Aeronautical Information Management, Frequentis was the first supplier using the EUROCAE ED-137 (VoIP for ATM) protocol in an environment with several operational centres sharing responsibilities and countrywide radio resources.

These solutions assist Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) around the world with a safe migration path to new technologies. The Frequentis VCX-IP solution provides a gateway service from existing safety-critical legacy interfaces and protocols to ED-137 VoIP.

After successfully passing factory acceptance and site acceptance testing in 2014, the IP network rollout is progressing rapidly, led by Airways’ network team. Andrew Griffith, Head of Planning and Performance at Airways, is convinced: “The Frequentis VCX platform allows us to integrate our current systems into a future-proof, nationwide IP data and voice network.”

Hannu Juurakko, Vice President Air Traffic Management Civil at Frequentis, proudly announces: “This contract award underpins our excellent long-term partnership with Airways which reaches far beyond a typical supplier-customer relationship. We are looking forward to assisting Airways with superior ATM communication solutions and with our domain know-how and experience in mission-critical applications.”