Flying High
It’s hard not to be impressed by the scale of the Heathrow
Terminal 5 (T5) project. Sitting alongside the existing airport
facilities, the construction site that has risen out of the
surrounding countryside spreads over an acreage equivalent to that
of London’s Hyde Park.
Scheduled to open in spring 2008, T5’s impressive
size will ensure that Heathrow will be in a position to cope with
increasing customer volumes and a new generation of larger
passenger planes. And it’s an essential project.
But the new London terminal will need more than additional space
and increased runway capacity if Heathrow is to maintain its
position as Europe’s pre-eminent air traffic hub. T5 must
also fulfil the expectations of the 21st century passenger, who
demand mobile connectivity and wireless access to the internet as
they pass through.
The upshot is that Terminal 5 requires an integrated
communications infrastructure that can support a full range of
voice, data and operational systems – and that can develop as the
airport’s needs change over time.
As one of the lead suppliers on the project,
ntl:Telewest Business has drawn on all of its experience in network
design implementation, integration and commissioning to deliver a
solution that meets the needs of this incredibly diverse
environment.
It has designed an end-to-end communication
solution. While it involves a local area network (LAN), this one
goes far beyond the traditional LAN to involve two primary
communications rooms and more than 70 secondary communications
rooms, linked by more than one million metres of high-bandwidth
fibre-optic cable.
As well as underpinning the passenger services and
retail operations, it will provide telephony for 1,500 staff phones
and link up building management systems. A private mobile radio
network is also part of the scheme and will allow airside personnel
to communicate with their colleagues inside the terminal. In tandem
with a massive wireless network (to incorporate 1,000 access
points), the LAN will allow customers to access the internet and
use their mobiles during their passage through T5.
The ntl:Telewest Business solution will also support
communications for the crucial security environment. This will
include the baggage handling system, which will screen and
photograph up to 12,000 bags per hour, and one of the world’s
largest estates of IP-enabled CCTV cameras. In addition,
ntl:Telewest Business is installing a system that will regulate
staff movement around the building, with access to certain areas
dependent on status and security clearance.
In recognition of the importance of the project both
to ntl:Telewest Business and BAA, nothing is being left to chance.
BAA has insisted that technology providers populate their
innovative designs with proven products. Even so, every piece of
software and electronic equipment has been rigorously bench-tested
at a facility set up close to the main construction site. The
Interface Testing Facility – which includes a complete working
replica of the T5 LAN – has enabled all T5’s technology providers
to identify and rectify hardware or software problems in advance of
installation, thus minimising the delays that often bedevil major
projects.
As 2008 approaches, there is a genuine sense of excitement among
the partners involved with T5; perhaps summed up by ntl:Telewest
Business’s Project Leader Simon Fairburn: ‘It’s great to be working
on a project of this complexity. Terminal 5 is becoming more
exciting as we begin to see the results of years of effort.’
Related Links