Delhi Airport has launched its 5G infrastructure ahead of the rollout. The country’s busiest and largest runway has become the only 5G-enabled airport in India where passengers can use the world’s advanced mobile service inside the terminal. The flyers arriving or departing from the runway can now experience the power of the 5th generation of mobile network technology (5G).
Flyers with 5G-enabled mobile phone sets and sim cards are all set up to experience better signal strength, seamless connectivity, negligible latency, and faster data speed at the Domestic Departure pier and International Arrival Baggage area at Terminal 3 and between T3 Arrivals and Multi-Level Car Parking (MLCP). The deployment across Terminal 3 is being covered in a phased manner.
Currently, a few of the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have enabled their network to facilitate 5G service for their customers and expect other TSPs to connect in the next few weeks. Besides them, people visiting GMR Aerocity Delhi can also use the 5G network at GMR Square now. GMR Square is a unique concept for any Indian airport and offers easy access to the commercial hubs of Aerocity from public areas.
Since 5G is available at the IGI airport, passengers can now enjoy 20 times faster data speed on a 5G network as compared with the available Wi-Fi system or 50 times faster data speed over the existing data communication network. Access to 5G will allow passengers quicker downloads, zero buffering during streaming, seamless execution of resource-intensive applications like 3D Gaming, virtual reality experience, extremely high-density connectivity, and extremely deep coverage in all areas.
Most airports (including Delhi Airport) today provide wireless service primarily through Wi-Fi to the passengers. Wi-Fi relies on the unlicensed spectrum which is free for anyone to use. For the last two decades, Wi-Fi has been an important wireless technology and it remained popular today because of its inexpensive set-up and its compatibility with most devices.
With the rise in passenger footfall, airports are witnessing a surge in demand for more bandwidth and faster speed from the passengers who carry their mobile devices. Airlines and other airport stakeholders are also seeking fast, seamless, and secure connectivity for their essential technologies to enhance the passenger experience. The 5G, the next step in mobile telephony, will help with this and improve existing applications of airports, like passenger processing, baggage management, and airport operations.
Moreover, 5G will enable airports to use new technologies like edge computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), digital twin creation, and artificial intelligence. The widely-expanded 5G connection density will also help connect thousands of new Internet of Things devices.
For this, we have collaborated with Telecom Service Providers (TSP) to deploy additional infrastructure to extend the 5G network outside the terminals. Trials in this regard have been completed and were highly successful. We are also planning to set up experience zones for passengers where they can get a feel of the power of 5G mobile technology.
At the Delhi Airport, we have put up 5G infrastructure at the entrance of Multi-Level Car Parking (MLCP), inside the terminal, and at GMR Aerocity Delhi. By providing high-speed downloads, less buffering, and secured connectivity, this move will take us a step closer to our goal of enhancing the flyer experience.