FAA telecom upgrade reaches IP milestone

The new Internet Protocol backbone for the Federal Aviation Administration's telecom upgrade project has been completed.

Harris Corp. said Wednesday that 80 percent of the FAA's operational Internet Protocol traffic has been migrated to the new FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure project.

Harris Vice President John O'Sullivan called the milestone "a critical achievement since at least half of all future telecom requirements for the National Airspace System will require IP services."

Formally known as Internet Protocol over Asynchronous Transfer Mode (IP over ATM), the project links the Internet nodes of 26 FAA control centers and other facilities. Traffic includes flight plans and navigational and weather data that moves faster and in greater volume than the current system.

The system is accommodated by Sprint and AT&T long-distance networks. Upgrades included improvements to security, routing and switching as well as the replacement of about 35,000 separate circuits.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International