Aviation Agency Stays in Touch with Telepresence

Background

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) handles civil aviation affairs for the entire country, managing seven regional authorities and 41 airports. In 2003 the CAAC installed videoconferencing systems in some locations with the goal of supporting emergency response, daily service delivery, consultation, and training programs.

Challenges

After several years of operation, the CAAC decided that the video quality of the 2003 videoconferencing system was too low and operation too difficult.

Specifically, the system’s CIF resolution (352 pixels x 288 pixels) had proved inadequate. The system required that an administrator set up a video conference a day ahead of time to ensure that the system was working correctly, and audio and video devices needed separate setup procedures because they were standalone systems. Due to the system’s complexity, a knowledgeable video conferencing technician was needed to operate the equipment, which significantly increased maintenance costs.

Solution

Huawei solved both the quality and complexity issues for the CAAC with a full HD telepresence solution.

To support executive virtual meetings, Huawei deployed the TP3118S Telepresence system in the CAAC headquarters and TP3106 Telepresence systems in the seven regional authority locations. These systems use multiple screens and directional sound to create an “in-the-room” telepresence experience. To accommodate the size of the available meeting rooms, Huawei customized some parts of the telepresence products to fit the space and still provide excellent audiovisual experience.

In addition to the full telepresence systems, Huawei deployed single-screen HD videoconferencing systems for the seven regional authorities and 41 airports. Both the telepresence and videoconferencing systems connect to the same Huawei Multipoint Control Unit (MCU), so all the systems can interact.

To ensure ease of use, the Huawei Telepresence solution includes a touch panel for controlling the system with an intuitive Graphical User Interface (GUI). Average users can learn how to operate the system in a few minutes. The CAAC executives now convene and control video conferences without the help of an administrator or technician.

To ensure superb experience, Huawei employs multiple backup mechanisms for the MCU shared by the telepresence and videoconferencing systems. In addition, the core management system, switching system, and terminals are designed with redundancies to ensure high availability. For example, the core switching system supports two-node clusters in backup mode.

Benefits

CAAC agencies can now make decisions faster and use their video conferencing facilities more efficiently. The telepresence and videoconferencing systems provide true-to-life video communication with 1080p HD video, directional sound, and live content sharing.

More CAAC staff members are using video conferencing, which improves productivity while reducing costs. Staff members can setup a video call themselves, so CAAC saves the cost of a video conferencing technician. Carrier-grade stability ensures reliable video meetings at any time.