Delhi Airport is India’s First 5G-ready Airport

Delhi Airport, the country’s busiest and largest airport, has become the only 5G-enabled airport in India where passengers can use the world’s advanced mobile service inside the terminal as soon as the services are rolled out by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs). 
  
Passengers flying in or out of Delhi Airport can experience the power of the 5th generation of mobile network technology (5G).
 
Flyers having a 5G-enabled mobile phone set and sim card can experience a 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 would be 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. 
 
Apart from these, people visiting GMR Aerocity Delhi can also get a feel of the 5G network at GMR Square. GMR Square is a unique concept for any Indian airport which offers easy access to the commercial hubs of Aerocity from public places. It offers pedestrian experiential walks at GMR Aerocity Delhi. 
 
Passengers will be able to enjoy a 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.
 
The 5G network would allow them quicker downloads, zero buffering during streaming, seamless execution of resource-intense applications like 3D Gaming, Virtual reality experience, extremely high-density connectivity, and extremely deep coverage in all areas.
 
To provide a world-class mobile experience to its passengers, DIAL, a GMR Airports Infrastructure Limited-led consortium that operates and manages Delhi Airport, had set up the In-Building Solutions (IBS) for the 5G network well in advance. 
 
Most airports 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, the airports have witnessed a rise 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, which is the next step in mobile telephony, will help in enhancing existing applications of the airports, like passenger processing, baggage management and airport operations, etc. Also, it will enable airports to go for new technologies like edge-computing, Internet of Things (IoT), digital twin creation and artificial intelligence, etc. 
 
“Delhi Airport always remains ahead in bringing new-gen technologies to the passengers. To enhance their experience at the airport we have built our own 5G infrastructure. The 5G network offers a faster speed and lower latency. At the airport, this feature of the next-generation mobile technology will help improve connection density and enhance passengers’ experience. Passengers can experience unified signal strength, seamless connectivity, negligible latency, and unimaginable data speed. For airports, it will lead to greater efficiencies and aid in faster decision-making. It is now more important than ever as the aviation industry is recovering from the impacts of Covid-19,” said CEO-DIAL Mr Videh Kumar Jaipuriar.
 
The widely-expanded 5G connection density will also help connect thousands of new Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
 
For this, DIAL has 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. 
 
DIAL has put up 5G infrastructure at the entrance of Multi-Level Car Parking (MLCP), inside the terminal and at GMR Aerocity Delhi. DIAL is also planning to set up experience zones for passengers where they can get a feel of the power of 5G mobile technology.