Sita unveils next-gen fibre-optic comms for data-intensive airports

Air transport industry technology provider Sita has launched a high-speed fibre-optic service that delivers “ultra-reliable”, scalable and secure connectivity that could soon bypass copper cables in complex airport environments.

The firm believes that to date, bandwidth limitations, high latency and costly maintenance have meant platforms deployed at airports have sometimes fallen short.

Technologically, the Sita passive optical network (PON)-enabled fibre infrastructure, optical network terminals and centralised network will collectively deliver “uninterrupted”, high-bandwidth connectivity across crowded airports. The offering is intended to serve airports and airlines, maintenance, repair and overhaul, ground handlers, and other travel industry customers.

Sita PON is engineered to extend beyond passenger terminal spaces, and the company sees offering long-distance coverage with its network as being able to transform telecommunications infrastructure across distant airport hangars, engineering facilities and storage areas, where extended distances and restricted environments make traditional cabling inefficient.

Explicitly, the company regards existing copper wiring as often requiring repeaters or boosters, adding cost and complexity. By contrast, the Sita PON single fibre offering works across distances up to 20km (12+ miles) without the need for active equipment in-between – making it effective for data-heavy applications like HD video surveillance, smart kiosks, internet of things (IoT) devices and cloud services.

The company’s updated local area PON solution is being delivered in partnership with global networking solutions provider Tellabs and supplier of PON technology. It is designed to provide next-generation fibre-based infrastructure tailored for airports, airlines and ground handlers, with what are claimed to be “future-proofed” network performance to support mission-critical systems, smart airport services and IoT deployments, all while reducing costs.

By delivering high-speed, fibre-based connectivity through a centralised, passive optical network, Sita said that its PON eliminates the need for complex cabling that degrades over time and multiple active components.

It added that the network can ensure local-area network customers can build modern, high-performance networks with smart, sustainable and secure connectivity that removes limitations on future growth and the high-maintenance costs associated with legacy networks.

Sita PON also accesses technology through the Sita Campus Network, including automation and industry, and sustainable expertise. This delivers round-the-clock monitoring and proactive maintenance, available worldwide, with support spanning over 145 countries.

“The increasing use of data-intensive applications in airports places a lot of pressure on existing platforms,” said Martin Smillie, senior vice-president for communications and data exchange at Sita. “They can struggle to deliver increasing capacity demands for operational needs across sprawling and complex airport infrastructure for mission-critical operations.

“Sita PON resolves capacity constraints for airports, airlines and ground handlers by delivering ultra-reliable, scalable and secure connectivity through high-speed fibre-optic infrastructure. Together with Tellabs … Sita PON meets the connectivity needs of today and the next generation of high-capacity systems that will be used across even the largest airports in the future.”

Tellabs president and CEO Rich Schroder added: “This partnership enhances the critical network infrastructure that airports rely on every day. Together with Sita, we’re delivering next-generation connectivity that is more seamless, secure and designed to meet the evolving demands of modern airports worldwide.”