Work on building 5G infrastructure for the project is due to begin in the third quarter of this year.
Fraport, which operates Frankfurt Airport says the private network will begin as a test in a “selected area” of the airport. The network will then be expanded in 2023 to eventually cover 20 square kilometres. Frankfurt airport is Germany’s busiest airport by passenger numbers.
NTT is a Japanese telecommunications company which will be building the network.
The network will be used for voice and data communication, but Fraport suggests it could be used for innovative projects such as autonomous driving on the airport runway in the future. Fraport says it will use a Campus network licence awarded by the German telecommunications regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA).
“Operating a standalone mobile network is a milestone for us as an airport operator. We are laying the strategic foundations that will help us make airport operations even more efficient in the future thanks to innovation and digitalization,” says Fraport’s CIO, Dr. Wolfgang Standhaft.
