OREANDA-NEWS. December 14, 2012. Deutsche Telekom completed work bang on target at Frankfurt Airport, where it has assumed responsibility for around 15,000 fixed and 6,000 mobile lines for Fraport, who operate one of the world's leading air traffic hubs - and did so during ongoing operations. The changeover took place without the slightest hassle. This means that Fraport employees can still be reached on their previous numbers after the change to the new provider. The customer was won over by the outstanding quality of Deutsche Telekom's network and the fact that all services are provided from a single source: mobile communications, fixed-line telephony and WLAN, Internet access and data center, network and service desks. The new contract for fixed and mobile services will initially run for 48 months.

"To ensure the airport operates smoothly, Fraport requires several dozen IT systems. A lot of the information it needs is supplied over mobile lines. Our mobile communications requirements are therefore extremely high," says Dr. Roland Krieg, Fraport's CIO. "Many of our staff can only be reached in the field, for example in the airport's maneuvering area, on mobile devices. We therefore need very high network reliability." Loadmasters, for example, are supplied with graphical information on their mobile devices via UMTS, showing them where freight has to be stowed. Without this data they could not load planes according to plan and the result would be delays in flight operations.

To ensure that airport operations were not disrupted, specifically the mobile communications cards were exchanged overnight. "We provided Fraport with a support team of 54 which replaced the cards in special data devices within the shortest possible time," explained Reinhard Clemens, a member of the Deutsche Telekom Board and CEO of T-Systems. Alongside the exchange, every card was subjected to a function test, integrated in Fraport's mobile virtual private network (mobile IP-VPN) and the phone book updated.

"We are successful all over the globe with our solutions for airport operations. For example, Aeroporto di Roma has recently extended its contract with us," Reinhard Clemens says. "We plan to support Fraport as a strategic partner in the coming years. The customer was mainly convinced by the outstanding quality of our network and the fact that all services come from a single provider." The vast number of flight movements and passengers who change flights with their baggage in Frankfurt mean that the requirements the company places on communications and IT systems are extremely high.

The last stage of this complex project is scheduled for December. Then, Deutsche Telekom will also migrate around 700 companies which use the DSL network on the Fraport site to the new Internet infrastructure.

Independently of this but at the same time, Frankfurt Airport entrusted Deutsche Telekom with implementation of its new resources management system (RMS). In doing so, Fraport has opted for a proven industry solution to handle the planning and management of all its resources, including aircraft positions, baggage conveyors and check-in counters at the airport.

Deutsche Telekom lists airports all over the world - including Aeroporti di Roma and Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport - among its customers. Today, one out of every five of the world’s largest international airports with 25 million passengers annually uses its airport solutions and services.