Actu
BAA selects Aruba Networks as corporate standard for wireless networks
March 2008 by Emmanuelle Lamandé
BAA, an airport authority, has selected Aruba as its wireless LAN vendor of choice and has deployed Aruba’s wireless infrastructure throughout Heathrow Terminal 5. Arup, BAA’s design consultant for Terminal 5 communication infrastructure, designed the secure wireless infrastructure to boost operational efficiency and support advanced mobile applications, from baggage handling to retail outlets, throughout the entire facility.
BAA selected Aruba following an extensive tendering process and detailed evaluation against other vendors in BAA’s £1M test and certification facility built specifically to support the development of IT systems at Terminal 5.
Aruba has already provided hundreds of access points supported by multiple Multi-Service Mobility Controllers operating in a highly resilient and redundant design. The highly secure wireless LAN infrastructure will support both public access to the Internet, BAA’s own service offerings to organizations within Terminal 5, and British Airways’ wireless lounge Internet access. Aruba’s ability to securely separate BAA services from public Internet services was an essential part of the decision criteria.
BAA acts as a service provider to other organizations within Terminal 5, including retail establishments, British Airways, and multiple hotspot Internet service providers. The Aruba network acts as a common infrastructure for all of these elements. As part of the Baggage Conveyor Systems project, BAA deployed an Aruba wireless LAN for its advanced baggage handling system, enabling engineers with laptops and PDAs to manage system commissioning from anywhere within the premises. The wireless infrastructure extends to the apron around the terminal, and allows wireless barcode scanners to reconcile luggage loaded onto aircraft with the main database.
