Member Article

Simoco Wireless Solutions opens dedicated NOC to keep Heathrow Airport moving

Critical communication specialist is running 24/7 troubleshooting and maintenance service for UK’s busiest airport.

Simoco Wireless Solutions has opened a Network Operations Centre (NOC) at Heathrow, which includes a 24/7 monitoring, troubleshooting and maintenance service for radio networks at the UK’s busiest airport.

The NOC has been created to look after a collection of mission-critical communications networks which keep operations within Heathrow running smoothly, and draws on Simoco’s specialist experience in the aviation sector. The NOC covers networks at 26 separate locations around the UK, including;11 bus depots, the radio communications network on the new Elizabeth Line Crossrail link, two data centres and two separate telematics software platforms, used for tracking vehicles involved in airport operations.

A mixture of digital (DMR) and analogue radio technologies is in place at Heathrow, with equipment provided from a range of different manufacturers, so the capabilities within the NOC are similarly broad. In total, Simoco is supporting around 11,000 devices and 180 separate customers across the UK & Ireland with this Network Operations Centre. The NOC is also being utilised to complete network administration tasks including system statistics reports, freeing up engineering resource to concentrate on mission-critical operations.

Whenever a network incident is identified Simoco’s expert operatives categorise the issue over the phone, and this rapid decision making prevents smaller incidents from escalating into significant operational disruption. Should a critical incident occur, customers are updated throughout the lifespan of that incident, and provided with up to date progress reports until the issue is resolved.

Ian Carr, Chief Operating Officer at Simoco Wireless Solutions, said: “We’ve worked hard to build specialist aviation expertise at Simoco, maximising our capabilities at delivering truly mission-critical communications networks. Heathrow, like any airport, incorporates a huge range of different security areas and communications networks, all of which need to work seamlessly together to keep the airport operating smoothly.

“By running a NOC from Heathrow, we can offer a truly end-to-end managed service.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simoco Wireless Solutions .