The Government presented this Tuesday the new digitization system for aeronautical communications throughout the country, which is in charge of the Argentine Air Navigation Company (EANA), which required an investment of US$13 million and will provide more and better communication between air traffic control and aircraft throughout the national territory.
The presentation was given by the Minister of Transport, Alexis Guerrera, and the head of EANA, Gabriela Logatto.
From now on, the entire Argentine airspace has new Voice Switching Systems (VCS) at the main airports of each of the country’s regions, such as those of Ezeiza, Comodoro Rivadavia, Mendoza, Resistencia and Córdoba.
As part of the project, the new Aeronautical Message Handling System, which replaced the previous one with more than a decade of service, was also installed and put into service.
Together with the renovation of 52 Advanced Aeronautical Stations, the acquisition of 208 IP radio equipment with second frequency, the installation of 48 fiber optic links and 48 antennas to link with our satellite network.
Guerrera told Télam that, when he assumed the current administration of the Government, air security was “at risk to some extent”, because it was based on “an obsolete system that telecommunications companies could no longer support”.
The official pointed out that “the situation is illustrated, not only by Logatto’s words, but also by the document letters issued by the telecommunications companies Telecom and Telefónica, which told us that they were going to cut off our service because the analog system that we had in January 2020, it was no longer working.
To achieve this, five digital Voice Switching Systems were installed, with state-of-the-art DIVOS recorders to manage the communications of all the workstation and operation positions.
Based on this, we say that we inherited a totally deficient aeronautical security system, while some were busy talking about the Aircraft RevolutionThey did not take care that these planes had security, but not only what we are celebrating today in their transition from analog to digital, but also security on the ground, quality of runways and beaconing systems, among other things, “he said. female warrior
In this regard, Logatto clarified that “although air safety was always guaranteed by other types of procedures, it was necessary to incorporate technology and mature the operational safety system.”
He stressed that “what happened was that when the analog network failed due to disruptions or there was interference, like 24 months ago, we closed airspaces and could not operate.”
“Faced with this situation, many airspaces were turned off, which caused the planes to stay on the ground, with saturation of platforms, which caused the airspace to become congested, which was a concrete risk for air safety. Argentina used to operate with a system degraded. Today in many aspects of communication, we have a system that allows us to operate with greater efficiency and quality,” the official explained.
In this way, an advance is materialized that has a direct impact on all the people who fly through our country, since for the first time the old analog network was replaced by state-of-the-art digital terrestrial and satellite links.
The new digitalization system for aeronautical communications throughout the country, presented this afternoon, is part of the Air System Modernization Plan, promoted by the national portfolio led by Guerrera.
In this way, an advance is materialized that directly impacts all the people who fly through our countrysince for the first time the old analog network was replaced by state-of-the-art digital terrestrial and satellite links.
Until now, for a long time there was only a single frequency with analog technology and links.
After a stage of parallel use between this old system and the new one, tests were carried out, and finally air traffic control was redirected to the new frequency, and after more than 25 years of operation This Saturday, the shutdown of the analog network throughout the country and the beginning of a new stage of digital communications takes place.
From now on, the entire Argentine airspace has new Voice Switching Systems (VCS) at the main airports of each of the country’s regions, such as those of Ezeiza, Comodoro Rivadavia, Mendoza, Resistencia and Córdoba.
To achieve this, five digital Voice Switching Systems were installed, with state-of-the-art DIVOS recorders to manage the communications of all the workstation and operation positions.
In addition, radio equipment was also installed, enabling a second IP frequency in all the bases of the different flight regions, with redundant equipment.
At the same time, obsolete analog links, which involved a high number of failures and hours of maintenance, were replaced by digital links terrestrial and VSAT satellite backup links provided by the national telecommunications company ARSAT were added.
As part of the project, the new Aeronautical Message Handling System, which replaced the previous one with more than a decade of service, was also installed and put into service.
The implementation and migration of The entire project was carried out while keeping the air traffic control service 100% operational.a task that required 24 months of work, requiring the participation of more than one hundred EANA engineers and technicians, more than 1,000 service commissions, and an investment of US$13 million.
