Besides their luggage, today’s connected travelers bring something into the airport that they don’t consciously have: a conditional expectation of 5G-level connectivity wherever they go. While outdoor 5G is widespread in many urban markets thanks to the macro cellular networks we all use, indoor coverage remains uncertain in many places. And when that accessibility is lacking, travelers notice it.
Outdoor 5G has a fundamental problem: macro 5G networks have a harder time penetrating indoor spaces, especially those made of glass and steel like airports, even more so than traditional cellular technology. That’s why the aviation industry has become a true leader in deploying dedicated indoor 5G networks to ensure seamless coverage for travelers, staff, and security on either side of the perimeter.
Unlike other indoor spaces that were early adopters of 5G, such as large public venues and stadiums, airports have unique use cases that airport networks must adapt to with the complexity, variability, and accountability they must accommodate. Going far beyond the massive capacity and speed needs of a typical stadium network, airport networks must also accommodate highly variable connectivity levels, mixed indoor and outdoor spaces, and secure communications between personnel and connected devices.
Indeed, the extent to which 5G is central to large airport operations, and the variety of ways in which travelers, staff and connected devices are using it for efficient operations, makes it an excellent laboratory to explore a wider range of indoor 5G use cases in smaller airports and enterprises in general.
5G destination: Lapses, delays, and finally arriving
Airports are also increasingly rerouting to fully deploy indoor 5G networks. Initial 5G deployments had to (and in many locations still have to) share infrastructure with existing 4G/LTE technologies. This coexistence was necessary to accommodate users whose adoption of 5G was still slow, but it limited the available spectrum, limiting the extent to which 5G could reach its full practical potential.
But in 2024, market adoption of 5G mobile devices will be nearly complete, making these compromises moot. The capacity and speed of a full 5G network will be exponentially better than 4G/LTE. Simply put, 5G will do everything older network technologies can do, and do it much better. And that’s a good thing, too. After five years of getting used to seeing 5G logos in the status bar of their devices and accepting 5G performance in outdoor macro environments as a given, subscribers (i.e. travelers) have come to see the appearance of 4G/LTE as an unwelcome compromise and are increasingly reluctant to accept it. It’s not surprising, given the sheer number of ways these travelers rely on connectivity while traveling.
A day in the life of an internet-connected traveller
Let’s walk a typical traveler, one of millions of travelers, through the steps of a typical flight to a new destination city, detailing the many interrelated interactions that the traveler relies on to reach their destination safely and comfortably.
First, our traveler, who we’ll call Jim, has a lot on his mind today. Maybe he’s traveling for an important job interview, visiting family for the first time in years, or looking for a new city to live in. Whatever the reason, he’s more focused on the destination than the journey, making a smooth transition even more important.
· Jim arrives at the airport and crosses the terminal threshold. At that moment, the outdoor 5G signal he’d been using to navigate the optimal route to the airport all but disappears behind thick glass walls and sturdy steel beams. His device automatically picks up the indoor 5G network that blankets the terminal’s indoor space. The connection continues seamlessly.
· He then uses a kiosk to check in for his flight. An app on his phone receives his e-ticket information and boarding pass, directs him to the correct gate, and provides real-time directions to the gate. Jim presents his e-ticket at airport security’s new self-service checkpoint and walks through with ease, where security’s proprietary technology scans and clears his credentials over the same 5G network.
· On his way to the gate, Jim uses his 5G smartphone to check the weather forecast for his destination city. It’s 76 degrees and sunny. No need to worry about weather-related delays. Good thing he packed his jacket in his checked luggage. He checks the airline’s app to see if there are any announced flight delays or gate changes. Nope, everything looks on time.
· Jim, a seasoned traveler, arrived two hours before his flight. He took a quick break and grabbed a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant before boarding. The 5G signal was as strong as ever, and Jim scanned the QR code to pull up the menu online, ordered, and enjoyed his meal.
· You check your work email to see an urgent request to make edits to a legal document, but thanks to the end-to-end encryption security that 5G provides, you can make your changes and upload a new draft without exposing any sensitive information to potential bad actors using a spoofed Wi-Fi network.
· After enjoying his lunch and settling down at work, Jim has 30 minutes left before boarding. He can kick back and enjoy the season finale of his favorite streaming show without stuttering or buffering. 5G was built for high-bandwidth applications like this.
· Jim’s electronic boarding pass pops up when he needs it, he boards the plane, and enjoys a nap all the way to his destination. Once on the ground, his destination airport’s 5G network (which covers the runway area) allows him to check the baggage claim area, confirm his hotel reservation, and book a rideshare before the plane even arrives at his gate.
During his journey, Jim used indoor 5G networks dozens of times to make his trip more efficient, easier and more comfortable. And as a seasoned 5G user, all he noticed was that everything worked as expected.
Airport operations will also benefit from 5G connectivity
Jim’s experience highlights many of the traveler services and applications enabled by indoor 5G, but for airports themselves, these are just the beginning. In addition to connected ticket kiosks and self-service security checkpoints, airport operations can take advantage of countless 5G capabilities, both indoors and outdoors.
· Secure two-way wireless communication
· Runway communications for ground support personnel.
· IoT devices that control area access, environmental control, and information monitors
· Parking ramps and automated access points for rental car parking lots
· Private 5G networks used by airport and airline managers
· Vast indoor space like a service hangar
5G is expected to remain a core technology for wireless networks through 2030, and investments made today in indoor, mixed indoor/outdoor and private 5G networks will go a long way to enabling more efficient operations and flexible deployment of new connectivity services and applications, including the ever-growing world of IoT technologies.
As indoor 5G becomes more part of our connected lives, driven by the twin value propositions of improved traveler experience and more agile, efficient airport operations, 5G has gone from a “best practice” to the “only practice” for airports, with adoption ramping up in the largest international airports as well as smaller regional ones.
The broader case for indoor 5G
It’s no surprise that data-heavy, demand-heavy, and high-risk locations like airports are among the most enthusiastic adopters of indoor 5G, but their deployments support the argument for broader adoption across the transportation industry and even in commercial and enterprise environments. After all, no market can escape the growing customer expectations of complete connectivity, and similarly, no market can ignore the operational efficiencies that can be achieved through secure, ubiquitous indoor 5G coverage.
In one of the most demanding proving grounds – an international airport – indoor 5G has proven itself ready to live up to expectations as the flexible, high-performance connectivity solution of the future and transform experiences and business models across all domains.
