Enhance U-Tapao Airport to Restore the Country Further
AIS reinforces its leadership in the region’s 5G network and No. 1 in Thailand with the most spectrums and covers 77 provinces nationwide by continuing to work with partners to restore the country, joins with U–Tapao Airport to extend the cooperation to upgrade the service of U–Tapao Rayong–Pattaya International Airport to the next level after getting trusted in the joint development of digital solutions for Terminal 2 since September 2018.
This collaboration continues to bring Digital Infrastructure as necessary as technology AIS 5G, WiFi 6 and others to further support including studying and testing digital solutions in the future to transform and enhance the management of the U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport at Terminal 2 building to facilitate and improve the efficiency of safety for tourists, tourists businesses, and investors traveling to Thailand to build an environment for tourism and investment being attracted both domestic and foreign private sectors to expand their venture into the EEC area. However, This is in line with the government’s policy to push U-Tapao Airport to be the third fully functional commercial airport in Bangkok, which will link passenger and cargo transportation with Don Muang Airport and Suvarnabhumi Airport according to the Eastern Economic Corridor Development Project (EEC), which is one of the critical strategic plans under the Thailand 4.0 policy that will simultaneously restore the country’s economy to be healthy and sustainable after the crisis from the COVID outbreak in the past.
The digital services that have been introduced to enhance the management capabilities of U–Tapao Rayong–Pattaya International Airport include:
1) Smart Video Analytics Solution: To enhance the terminal management system with intelligent video image analysis and processing technology, which consists of data from the entire building surveillance network and artificial intelligence image processing analysis program to be applied as a Face and Object Recognition in the airport building area to improve the level of security such as Unattended Object Detection, alert in the event of an object being left for an unusually for a long time, to improve the efficiency of the security system and airport management of the Royal Thai Navy.
2) Thailand Smart Airport application: To facilitate passengers with various aviation and airport information in one application such as Flight schedule status, flight change notifications, airport interior maps, and details of airport service points with Augmented Reality (AR). Travelers can download the app, which is available from the App Store and Play Store today onwards.
3) Thermal Scan technology: To improve the measure of tourist temperatures and connect to the airport security management system.
4) ROBOT FOR CARE (ROC) Robot: A smart robot developed by the AIS Robotic Lab research team that can immediately screen, measure temperature, and keep the hygiene of tourists who use airport services, with high accuracy, which reduces close contact, and prevent the spread of COVID-19, furthermore develop and increase awareness of hygiene confidence among passengers and all stakeholders.
5) Install a 5G network fast and highly stable to increase the efficiency of passenger and public service within airports and to establish new service solutions that will strengthen the competitiveness of U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport, Rayong Province.
6) Wifi 6 service: the latest WiFi standard with the fastest speed is ready for support in many mobile devices and devices to help tourists connect to the online world more seamlessly and efficiently.
Vice Admiral Kitchpol Rienglekjamnong – General Manager of U-Tapao Airport, said, “The development project of U-Tapao Airport and the Eastern Aviation City is one of the significant infrastructure of the EEC that the government recognize the importance and encourages investment in various fields, which covers all dimensions, including commercial airport service, business continuity development and aviation industry intending to upgrade U-Tapao Airport as the third major commercial international airport of Bangkok.
Besides, since 2018, U-Tapao Airport Authority has collaborated with Advanced Wireless Network Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of AIS by bringing digital technology to improve the service and management of Terminal 2 such as passenger application development and video analytics as well as developing computer systems and communication systems to expand the capabilities of the service within this airport. However, continuously leading to the extension of this cooperation that brings 5G Digital Infrastructure to strengthen the management of the airport to facilitate and provide an excellent experience for airport users, including developing security and administrative efficiency, especially during the restoration of the country from the COVID-19 situation, which is supposed to meet the needs of passengers further to link and support air travel and transportation to upgrade to the Smart Terminal or Smart Airport for the country.”
Mr. Somchai Lertsutiwong, Chief Executive Officer of AIS, said, “Based on the vision that we emphasize on bringing 5G technology to the country, especially in the industrial sector, whether by land through working with industrial estates, marine, and air, which announced last June to support the strength of the country in all aspects, especially during the crises caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. In the past, AIS was permitted to work with U-Tapao Airport to bring digital services such as the Thailand Smart Airport application and the Smart Video Analytics Solution technology to service from 2018 to help meet tourists’ needs and enhance the work potential of the staff.
Today, 5G technology and Network Infrastructure are ready to join the nation’s recovery amidst the current COVID-19 impact on the tourism industry. AIS, as the leader of regional 5G networks with 5G networks in all 77 provinces, especially in industrial estates in the EEC, we are proud to increase the trust of U-Tapao Airport once again by continuing to participate and become partners in bringing Digital Platform and Solutions to enhance the management of U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport to be modern, convenient and fast to build confidence in passengers’ safety and health for piloting the development of a future smart airport or “Smart Airport” that will improve and restore the country, also provide tourists and investors returning to the country after the COVID-19 situation purposes.
1) Studying the technology form to be applied in airport management to guide the development and upgrading of U-Tapao airport in the future.
2) Testing digital solutions to enhance the airport capabilities, such as 5G Autonomous Driving, 5G surveillance system, to monitor both the terminal and surrounding areas of the airport.
All of this is to strengthen U-Tapao Airport as an ASEAN aviation center that will better attract more investors and prosperity to the EEC area, which is stimulating tourism and the economy to become active and drive the Thai economy to be robust and sustainable.”
