Rohde & Schwarz launches next phase of Airways New Zealand Air Traffic Control system upgrade

Rohde & Schwarz launches next phase of Airways New Zealand Air Traffic Control system upgrade Rohde & Schwarz Australia has been awarded a contract by Airways New Zealand to expand the R&S IP Voice Communication System (IP VCS) currently used in the Auckland and Christchurch air traffic control centres across all 19towers in the NZ Air Traffic Control (ATC) network plus three mobile and contingency towers.

Christchurch Airport Air Traffic Control Tower at dusk. Credit: Airways New Zealand

Sydney, August 5, 2026 - The commencement of Tranche 2 of the Airways New Zealand IP VCS project will see Rohde & Schwarz replace existing ATC tower communication equipment with CERTIUM VCS, expanding on the system delivered to the ATC center under Tranche 1 which has been in operation since October 2023.

Managing Director Rohde & Schwarz Australia Gareth Evans said, The roll-out of CERTIUM VCS to the 22 towers in the Airways New Zealand network offers reliable, fully redundant voice communications for air traffic controllers across a geographically distributed network, as well as a more resilient, standardized platform that can support uninterrupted operations, easier integration and long-term scalability. .

Head of National Engineering Airways New Zealand Tim Yearsley said, We're looking forward to the next stage of modernisation in voice communication systems, further extending our IP systems capability for next generation aerodrome control systems, supported by Rohde & Schwarz.

Rohde & Schwarz Australia Head of ATC Programs Daniel Wang paid tribute to the long-standing collaboration between Rohde & Schwarz and Airways New Zealand. The award of this contract demonstrates the strength of our trusted partnership with Airways in the transformation of its nationwide air traffic control communications network.

Together, we are delivering a unified, safety-critical communications environment across tower, approach, area and oceanic control operations that enhances operational resilience and supports future growth, aligning with Airways' purpose of providing safe skies today and tomorrow.

Editor's note: An IP VCS is a digital voice communication system that carries speech over a network instead of using only traditional phone or radio lines. It is used in critical environments to route calls, connect the right people quickly, and keep communication reliable even if part of the network fails.

Rohde & Schwarz has successfully delivered communications systems to over 200 ATC facilities worldwide and recently completed 140 tower installations for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States. The Airways New Zealand IP VCS contract was originally signed on June 21, 2018 and Tranche 1 of theproject included delivery, implementation and through-life support for over 200 controller working positions in Auckland and Christchurch. The project is being managed, delivered and supported by Rohde & Schwarz Australia, the regional Systems Center for Air Traffic Control, leveraging the extensive CERTIUM VCS product expertise of Rohde & Schwarz. CERTIUM VCS is the most widely deployed full IP VCS on the market.

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