Can You

Hear Me Now?

Many airport operators are learning

how innovative communications

software can drive significant safety

and business benefits.

By James Mustarde, marketing director,

Twisted Pair Solutions Inc.

It was everyone's worst nightmare. A wide body jet with more than

reverse. Instead of different parties

a hundred passengers on board loses all engine power and crashes

calling in to a single point, a single

just short of the runway at one of the world's busiest international

call simultaneously goes out to a

airports. Fortunately nobody was seriously injured, thanks in part

number of recipients.

to crews' professional handling of the emergency and because the

Shocking as it might sound,

aircraft was close enough to the airfield to avoid falling on surround-

many airports in the US still rely

on old, analog systems built

ing houses. What might have happened if the events had unraveled

a few minutes earlier is shocking to contemplate.

around aging hardware, leased

telephone lines and third-party

Airport operators and their emergency services teams constant-

ly plan and train for events such as these, helped in the most part

providers. These systems are

by modern communications and rescue equipment. Yet a significant

prone to faults and service suspensions and little can be done to

portion of airports in the US and abroad are unable to guarantee the

improve the availability of spares for almost obsolete technology.

required response due to outdated communications equipment.

When Orlando's Sanford International Airport was confronted with

Innovative communications software is now helping to solve

recurring failures of its own crash phone system they chose to replace

the problem of aging and unreliable crash phone systems, as well

it with one that leveraged unified communications software running over

as providing new and exciting ways of unifying disparate communi-

a redundant fiber network. By re-using much of its existing network sys-

cations technologies to achieve operational and financial benefit.

tem, the airport was able to dispense with its expensive leased line and

third-party services and bring online a state-of-the-art IP crash phone

GUARANTEED RESPONSE

system that delivered advanced capabilities and guaranteed availability.

Although the crash phone is just one of many airport communi-

WORKING SMARTER

cations systems, it is perhaps its most important piece of emer-

gency equipment. In the event of an emergency, air traffic control

Although airport safety is a major consideration for operators,

personnel in the tower simply pick up the phone and are connected

unified communications software that allows disparate devices to

instantly with a combination of first responders and airport opera-

work seamlessly together is also delivering benefit to airport opera-

tions staff. A crash phone operates like a conference call, but in

tors in many other ways. Mumbai International Airport, India's busi-