Why Digital Air Traffic Management Depends on the Communications Network Beneath It

A new digital frontier for air traffic management (ATM) is opening up. Powerful applications have already begun emerging to enhance or streamline communications, navigation and surveillance, all designed to make air travel safer, more efficient, resilient and sustainable. And more sophisticated capabilities like AI-enhanced and AI-assisted operations are waiting in the wings.

To succeed in this changing environment, two points are crucial. Air navigation service providers need to stay well informed about the latest technologies. At the same time, they need to understand that applications will only perform at their best with advanced connectivity designed for this task — a robust mission-critical IP/MPLS and segment routing wide area network (WAN). In brief, the WAN must enable a full range of new capabilities, prevent increasingly sophisticated cyberthreats, and eventually provide full interoperability with legacy Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) applications during the transition phase.

A purpose-built ATM-grade WAN like this can enable seamless ground-to-ground connectivity across the entire flight path. This means that focusing on the network — not just technology — will determine who fully capitalizes on digital ATM and who gets left on the tarmac, as the shift toward digital air traffic management brings new opportunities and challenges.

A foundation for success, starting now

A solid foundation is needed for such mission-critical endeavors. Here are the core characteristics of a robust IP/MPLS WAN that can help air navigation service providers meet their key goals:

Supporting digitalization: A mission-critical WAN enables connectivity across the ATM infrastructure to enable digitalization. This includes linking departure and destination control towers, en route traffic control centers, weather stations and facilities such as radio and satellite ground stations. It can also ensure resilient, secure connectivity for all communications, navigation, and surveillance systems, including ground-to-ground and air-to-ground backhaul. As ground-based infrastructure expands, an IP/MPLS WAN offers segment routing to simplify the process of extending the network.

Transporting diverse applications: IP/MPLS virtual private networks (VPNs) give ATM systems effective ways to support highly diverse applications, whether for communications, navigation, or surveillance. For instance, each application, whether it is real-time ADS-B and radar or best-effort IT services, can be carried in its own VPN . To optimize network efficiency, the VPN can also provide IP multicast to deliver video streams from a single source to multiple recipients simultaneously. Deterministic quality of service (QoS) ensures that safety-critical, real-time applications — such as remote tower video and radar feeds — receive strict, low-latency network performance. This approach avoids any impact from less demanding traffic, such as IT business systems.

Preventing communication outages: IP/MPLS incorporates extensive redundancy features, including fast reroute capabilities. These are designed to prevent network and application outages, such as the loss of a radar feed or voice communications that could disrupt ATM and jeopardize safety.

Maintaining interoperability with TDM applications: TDM network equipment is now moving toward end-of-support. However, many ATM applications are currently based on TDM and will still be used for years to come — including radar, VHF, and emergency communications. As a result, IP/MPLS WANs must support TDM circuit emulation and legacy interfaces to allow a smooth migration for these applications.

Looking ahead: the emerging opportunities

Many of the latest ATM system innovations are powered by cloud computing and will eventually be also assisted by AI. These advances are expected to help reshape aviation in two ways — by providing a foundation for future automation and by giving controllers new tools for making faster, data-driven decisions, such as trajectory-based operations and video analytics.

Trajectory-based operations (TBO): Moving beyond traditional voice-based control, TBO takes a collaborative, data-rich approach to air traffic control. It continually calculates, shares, and optimizes the four-dimensional trajectory (latitude, longitude, altitude, and time) of every aircraft.

Video analytics: Designed as an effective way to improve situational awareness, video analytics integrates AI with live video feeds from runway monitoring, airside surveillance, and tower operations. It then automatically detects hazards such as runway incursions, unauthorized access, or foreign object debris, enabling faster response times and improved overall security and safety.

These innovations will depend on the support of associated networking advances to ensure optimal performance.

OT cloud networking: Critical air traffic control applications are now being deployed in more flexible environments, known as an operational technology (OT) cloud. These on-premises servers are connected via the data center LAN infrastructure, also known as fabric, inside a data center. The data center fabric must interwork seamlessly with the IP/MPLS network to provide end-to-end mission-critical connectivity for ATM applications.

Networking for AI workloads: AI has immense potential to enhance aviation operations, for example, by helping air traffic controllers make faster, data-driven decisions to improve safety, efficiency, and resiliency. Once trained, AI models could be deployed strategically across the ATM infrastructure, from a data center to operation centers and airports. This deployment again relies on a robust WAN, along with data center networks, to ensure seamless data flow between sensors, CTV cameras and AI workloads. This advanced connectivity is essential for harnessing the power of AI workloads, such as video analytics.

Securing WANs for the quantum era

Thinking about network security starts now, because protecting application data as it moves across the WAN is fundamental for ensuring safe and efficient air operations. Security measures also need ongoing attention as ATM operations increase their reliance on digitalization. A digital approach obviously offers an array of benefits, but it also expands the “attack surface” of the infrastructure, making it more vulnerable to cyber threats.

The strongest defenses against these threats combine a “zero-trust” approach with a multilayer defense-in-depth framework, which extends across the ATM infrastructure, networks, and applications. This turns the WAN into a first line of cyber defense with a suite of security tools — including network segmentation through IP/MPLS services, network access control, IP and media access control (MAC) filtering and role-based network management. However, as more sophisticated resources become available for cyberattacks, new methods of protection will be necessary not only for aviation, but across industries worldwide.

In summary, success in today’s dynamic aviation landscape requires air navigation service providers to adopt a holistic approach. While individual technologies offer exciting opportunities, their true potential is unlocked through robust, secure, and adaptable networks that ensure seamless integration and optimal performance. By prioritizing the interplay between technology and infrastructure, aviation professionals can confidently navigate the complexities of modern airspace management.