King Fahd Airport to get Zinwave wireless network

Systems integrator Saudi Bell Group will deploy Zinwave TETRA radio solutions to provide in-building wireless to King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia.

The Zinwave DAS 3000 solutions will connect facilities and support infrastructure at the 667km² eastern province airport, the largest airport by physical space in the world.

The General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) awarded the contract to upgrade from the existing analogue TETRA network as part of an upgrade program for the airport as a whole, to expand passenger handling capacity from five million to sixteen million by 2038.

Zinwave solutions were selected as they will support the 350 - 360MHz frequency, which is not a standard TETRA frequency. The Zinwave solutions support all wireless and cellular frequencies, between 150MHz and 2700 MHz on a single hardware infrastructure.

Colin Abrey, president of International Sales, Zinwave: "We are delighted to be involved in this expansion project. We are the only providers of wideband DAS systems in the true sense of the word. Not only can our technology support all TETRA frequencies, it also supports all cellular frequencies, including the emerging LTE, on a single hardware layer. If the General Authority for Civil Aviation decided to add new services, such as commercial cellular ones, they can do using the same hardware, making the system truly future-proof."

The network will connect the airport passenger terminal, the royal terminal, the public mosque and a multi-storey car park spread over three levels, along with the airport's extensive tunnel network. The solution is expected to go live by end of the year.

Source: ITP