Redefining Air Travel: The Sound Revolution at Newark Airport, Bringing Clarity to Communication
In the bustling city of Newark, New Jersey, Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport, completed in 2023, marks a significant milestone as the largest single investment in the state's history by the Port Authority. This modern terminal, spanning one million square feet and equipped with 33 gates, offers passengers a seamless travel experience, thanks in part to its advanced communication system.
MKJ Communications, a leading provider in complex paging system design, was instrumental in the terminal's communication infrastructure. They recommended and implemented AtlasIED's GLOBALCOM platform, renowned for its audibility and intelligibility.
The GLOBALCOM platform serves as the backbone of the terminal's communication network, integrating with the airport's fire evacuation and alarm system for better communication coordination. This integration ensures that emergency messages take priority and are broadcast promptly during critical situations.
The system leverages a VoIP-based platform with multi-protocol support, connecting radios, intercoms, analog phones, and public address systems. This versatility allows operators to broadcast emergency messages and coordinate via intercom or paging.
Integration with fire alarm systems is achieved via dedicated fire interface units, which allow forced switching to emergency broadcasts and control of zoned alarms. The system's centralized control panels, equipped with user-friendly interfaces, unify communication and alerting functions, enabling fast, clear emergency messaging and coordination during fire events.
System redundancy and reliability features, such as dual power supplies, backup Ethernet networks, GPS-synchronized clocks, and structured software management, ensure continuous operation during crises. Optional incorporation of video and visual alert components, like LED screens and smart light poles, enhances situational awareness and multi-modal alarms.
The implementation process involves installing or adapting a networked paging system, connecting it to fire alarm control panels, configuring control logic, ensuring operator consoles are equipped for dispatchers, and testing system interoperability for fail-safe operation during simultaneous emergencies.
The digital communication stations are deployed at the gates, ticket counters, and central operations, each station equipped with a fully programmable touchscreen user interface and a handheld microphone. The Terminal A paging system is initiated from 120 Dante-enabled AtlasIED IED570DDT-H digital communication stations.
The system's TitanONE T112 smart mainframe power amplifiers provide signal automation, processing, and amplification. Each TitanONE T112 offers 12 main channels of amplification and two backup channels for redundancy. Passengers can hear clear instructions from airport personnel, reducing travel-related stress and helping terminal operations run smoothly and safely.
The IP-1522LR logic/relay modules were used to integrate the fire alarm and paging systems. Passenger feedback for Terminal A has been overwhelmingly positive, with attention to detail evident in every aspect of the terminal. A children's lending library and an indoor playground are available, while large-scale multimedia installations showcase New Jersey's landmarks, art, and innovations.
In its first year, the terminal has served 15 million passengers, a testament to its success in providing a modern, efficient, and safe travel experience.
- The advanced communication system in Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport, which spans over one million square feet and offers a seamless travel experience, is backed by MKJ Communications' recommendations and implementations of AtlasIED's GLOBALCOM platform.
- Features of the GLOBALCOM platform, integrated with the airport's fire evacuation and alarm system, include a versatile VoIP-based platform, dedicated fire interface units, centralized control panels, and user-friendly interfaces, ensuring priority emergency messages and smooth coordination during critical situations.
- In the aerospace industry, data-and-cloud-computing technology is leveraged to enhance situational awareness and safety, as shown by the implementation of video and visual alert components, such as LED screens and smart light poles, in the Terminal A paging system.
- The terminal's success in providing a modern, efficient, and safe travel experience is demonstrated by its first-year serving 15 million passengers and offering unique features, like a children's lending library, an indoor playground, and large-scale multimedia installations showcasing New Jersey's landmarks, art, and innovations.
