UC Network Management Featured Article
IP Migration Takes Center Stage at ATCA Tech Symposium
This week, the ATCA Tech Symposium takes flight. Running from September 14-18, the event offers a showcase of ideas, innovation, products, services and research in the air traffic controller space. Central to this year’s event is digital transformation. As the sun sets on TDM, ATCA must take a long look at IP migration, and modern network operations.
ConnX CEO Indrajit Ghosh takes the virtual stage with diagnosis and prescription for the FAA’s upcoming transition. The reality is TDM is dead. From the legislative side, the FCC mandated the end of TDM several years ago with expiration of TDM services in 2021 – even T1s will be a relic of the past by the end of the decade. Carriers prefer IP due to its higher bandwidth and superior efficiency. Thirdly, TDM isn’t economically viable for carriers, with chip set and equipment manufacturers discontinuing product lines.
Ghosh explains financial services was a leader in IP adoption, with healthcare and other government agencies following suit. Each industry experienced the same factors – legislation, efficiency and economics – serving as impetus for the shift.
Sharing many of the same operational requirements, the FAA demands low latency, real time communications, high availability and resiliency as well as strict security. ConnX is in a unique position to offer insight to the FAA on best practice for the IP migration.
For years, ConnX has delivered reliable connectivity and ubiquitous collaboration, robust functionality through enhanced, integrated workflows, promising integrity of services in the move away from copper. Central to ConnX’s success is the “integrate to migrate” strategy, which will prove critical toward the FAA’s transition. Key here is synchronization; old and new systems must be able to coexist, working in harmony to elevate operations.
The National Airspace Voice System (NAVS) and the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) are two critical systems with migration plans in place. The NVS is an IP based FAA voice system that makes up more than half of all FTI communications services. The SIM is the IP based surveillance radar system replacing TDM serial connections compromising seven percent of FTI communications services.
Change is here. Wholesale change will take time, with Ghosh viewing this “The Decade of IP.” TDM served the FAA well, but the writing is on the wall for this outdated technology. “TDM is dead and gone, resistance is futile,” noted Ghosh. But as the door closes on TDM, opportunity is abound in the digital world.
The ConnX approach has stood the test of more than 25 years, with digital transformation in its DNA event attendees gain unparalleled insight on the evolution of the network and communications.
Does your organization have a trusted digital transformation partner?
Edited by Maurice Nagle