Narita International Airport Excels with Advanced Radio System from Motorola Solutions

With more than 39 million passengers and Japan’s largest volume of international cargo flowing through Narita International airport annually, advanced technology is essential to maintaining safety and efficiency for daily operations.

Japan’s busiest airport deployed a highly advanced TETRA digital radio communications system one year ago and is experiencing the benefits of exceptional voice quality, fast call times and significantly expanded coverage.

The upgraded system from Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI) connects secure and reliable communications across both Narita and Okinawa Naha airports. The highly scalable, single system connects critical functions across the airports including security, operations and baggage handling activities.

The airport has also deployed a number of Motorola Solutions’ ST7000 TETRA radio devices for Narita airport’s ground staff, helping them to work more efficiently while delivering higher levels of customer service.

The slim, TETRA radio was developed in response to feedback from the airport’s ground staff who wanted an easy-to-use, compact radio suited to the needs of frontline customer service staff.

Behind the scenes of any major airport operation is a carefully coordinated and highly complex set of activities to manage passenger flows, support on-time performance of aircraft and maintain security, safety and customer satisfaction.

Following the success of the radio network upgrade, Narita International airport plans to add additional features to the network over time. Among features available for the TETRA system are smart location services to pinpoint the location of team members in the field and software-defined push-to-talk services to seamlessly connect radios with smart phones, tablets and other devices.

Yoshikazu Takahashi, president and CEO, Nippon Airport Radio Services Co., Ltd said the upgraded radio network and new ST7000 radios had far exceeded expectations.

“Reliable and instant communications are essential for connecting many different parts of an airport’s daily operations,” he said.

“Our upgraded radio network and smart new radio handsets are making a real difference every day - helping airport employees to work as safely and efficiently as possible.”

Survey highlights radio network success

A recent survey more than 50 companies using the network found their overall satisfaction with the service was at 95 per cent. Survey respondents also rated their satisfaction with Motorola Solutions’ ST7000 TETRA radio device at higher than 90 per cent for its audio quality, easy-to-use design, call connection speed and long lasting battery life.

Motorola Solutions vice president and general manager Asia and Japan, Prabhakar Rajagopal, said the successful solution was developed through close collaboration with the customer and by ensuring the chosen technology met the customer’s specific, daily operations needs.

“Any environment which requires highly secure and reliable communications can benefit from advanced TETRA radio solutions,” Rajagopal said.

“Businesses can also choose from a variety of radio solutions – including rugged devices and more compact designs - to meet the needs of a wide variety of employees working in different roles.
“Our ST7000 radio is suited to the needs of customer-facing professionals, executives or anyone who wants a highly durable radio with excellent audio quality packaged within a discreet and sleek form,” he said.