KLIA increase WiFi range

The expanded Internet access service was made possible with the recent upgrade of the backbone network at KLIA by Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (Malaysia Airports), making the award-winning airport one of the most powerful in the world in terms of network infrastructure.

The recently upgraded infrastructure covers and supports more than 150 areas or sites including the newly introduced Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), located some 15 km from the Main Terminal Building. This will now enable the airport community, such as the service providers, tenants and passengers to benefit from enhanced wired and wireless access.

"The deployment of the new high-end network at KLIA will enable Malaysia Airports to better serve not only the airlines, but the KLIA community as a whole.

"This upgrade is an integral part of our commitment to ensure KLIA remains as one of the leading airports in the world, equipped with the latest technology that benefits its customers and users," said Y.Bhg. Dato' Seri Bashir Ahmad, Managing Director of Malaysia Airports.

KLIA was recently voted the World's Best Airport in the 15-25 million passengers per annum category in the AETRA 2005 survey. AETRA is the world's leading airport benchmarking programme conducted jointly by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airport Council International (ACI).

Dato' Seri Bashir said that as part of the network upgrade, KLIA not only offers a wider "hotspots" for wireless Internet access, but the facility is offered free of charge.

The network upgrade is also timely as KLIA is expected to see a significant increase in traffic next year, in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2007, he added.

Y.Bhg. Dato' Seri Bashir was speaking at the launch of KLIA as a Wireless "Hotspot Airport" and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Malaysia Airports Technologies Sdn Bhd (MA Tech) and Cisco Systems.

The MOU, which paves the way for KLIA to provide wider wireless Internet access service, also allows MA Tech and Cisco Systems to collaborate and undertake various activities including:

Under this network upgrade project, which was implemented by Malaysia Airports through its subsidiary MA Tech, KLIA was fitted with a 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GE) network that utilizes Cisco Systems equipment, replacing the Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network that previously supported KLIA's Total Airport Management System. This new network is equipped with the latest technology that will support KLIA's network for many years to come as the network's capacity has increased 40 times more from 622 megabits per second to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps).

At the heart of KLIA's 10GE network are the industry-leading Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches. The Cisco Catalyst 6500 series delivers up to 720 Gbps performance per switch and high port density for data centers and network cores. The modular nature of the network design and architecture will enable MA TechH to deliver new Layer 2 to 7 services over time without complete equipment upgrades.

Mr Kumaran Singaram, Managing Director of Cisco Systems Malaysia said that the strategic tie-up between MA Tech and Cisco Systems was a great boost to the long term technological development of KLIA as a leading airport.

"Cisco Systems is proud to be with the technology partner for this network upgrade for KLIA which sets the standard for other airports. This investment will not only bring immediate benefits to KLIA and airport users, it will also contribute greatly to the long term expansion of the airport," he added.

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