Fiber to the runway

At KL International Airport (KLIA), passengers can check in without waiting in a long queue, and can work online or surf the Internet using the departure lounge Wi-Fi. This is one of many ways in which KLIA, managed by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), is benefiting from its Airports 4.0 Initiative.

Malaysia Airports manages 39 airports, including five outside of Malaysia. Its goal is to provide passengers with superior connectivity, and to ensure the airports it manages have secure and reliable networks, smarter and convenient applications, and better services.

The Airports 4.0 Initiative is central to MAHB’s ability to achieve this goal.

Ready for take-off

Malaysia Airports started to go digital as early as 2018. Its Airports 4.0 Initiative encompasses infrastructure enhancement, capability development, and digital innovation. The initiative aims to improve efficiency, generate more revenue, and tighten regulatory compliance, and deliver a better customer experience.

The core of the Airports 4.0 Initiative is the drive to enhance connectivity and real-time information-sharing by connecting all passengers, tenants, airport staff, and other stakeholders to a fully integrated digital ecosystem. The initiative centers on four key domains:

Terminal operations: Use data and analysis to improve daily operational efficiency.

Passenger experience: Give passengers more control over their journeys and more personalized services.

Security and safety: Redefine airport security and passenger safety using AI-powered computer-vision systems and intelligent video analysis to identify potential threats.

Employee activity and productivity: Improve employee efficiency through digital means.

Weighed down by legacy architecture

The original network architecture of Malaysia Airports faced huge obstacles. Airport services and surrounding tenants needed many VLANs, a networking technology that logically segments a physical network into multiple isolated broadcast domains, even if the devices are not physically grouped together. At that time, the two core network switches were almost fully loaded, preventing new service systems from going live.

In addition, Malaysia Airports 's service systems were manually configured and prone to faults, resulting in time-consuming, difficult repairs. It took at least 10 days to roll out new service systems for airlines, ground handling departments, and airport security.

What’s more, critical services could not be isolated. Air traffic management (ATM) authorities and some airlines required physical isolation for independent networking. Malaysia Airports could not meet this requirement.

Router plane, WDM plane, airplane

Huawei’s Fully Connected Fiber Network Solution – reliable, agile, simplified, and green – has helped KLIA resolve all of its pain points.

Compared with traditional IP architecture, the solution adopts an IP + DWDM dual-plane architecture, which reliably delivers critical services over a network at top speed.

The router plane and the WDM plane back each other up for cross-domain protection, fully meeting the high requirements of Malaysia Airports 's airlines and ATM authorities.

Huawei’s Fully Connected Fiber Network Solution adopts GPON/XGS-PON technology at the access layer to realize natural Layer 2 isolation and avoid risks like network storms. It uses optical fibers instead of copper cables, which could only cover 100 meters at most. In addition, the solution features passive aggregation so that fewer ELV rooms are required and airport operations will become greener and more efficient.

Huawei’s fiber-optic network for airports uses ultra-fast, technology called GPON/XGS-PON to separate data for security cameras, Wi-Fi, baggage handling and other functions so the different streams of network traffic don’t interfere with each other, while preventing “data traffic jams" that could cause systems to freeze up.

Better connections, simpler journeys

Beyond these benefits, the solution is highly scalable. There are no restrictions on bandwidth or distance and cables do not need to be re-routed.

With Huawei's solution, KLIA took only four and a half months to migrate and upgrade the entire network. Usually, such a large-scale project would take 12 to 18 months.

Since the transformation, Malaysia Airports’ networks capacity has grown by an order of magnitude, allowing passengers, merchants, and staff to enjoy convenient services.

Automated processes and powerful network capabilities enrich the passenger experience. Online check-in brings shorter queues and less congestion. Passengers can find their flight schedule and boarding gate using a mobile app, then travel smoothly from the airport entrance to the boarding gate. This helps airports manage passenger traffic, reduce congestion at all checkpoints, and ensure passengers can spend time shopping or dining at airport stores.

The digital transformation of airports and even the entire aviation industry is a long and arduous journey, one that cannot be completed overnight. From ambience to amenities, Malaysia Airports aims to make its airports both a destination and an experience by delivering the ultimate memorable airport experience through continuous technological innovation.