The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has transitioned to a new telecommunications network that will increase network reliability and save hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade. The FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) network replaces the legacy telecommunications network known as the Leased Interfacility National Airspace System Communications (LINCS). More than 3,800 facilities were upgraded with 20,000 telecommunications services. “Moving to FTI is a key milestone to support a secure, high capacity network backbone for the Next Generation Air Transportation System,” said Acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell.
Instead of managing and operating separate legacy networks, the FAA is moving toward an integrated, modern and cost-effective telecommunications infrastructure. The successful transition of the legacy LINCS system to the FTI network brings the FAA closer to a single, more reliable network for transmitting voice, data and radar information to the nation’s air traffic controllers. It also offers a range of enhanced security services, including firewalls, intrusion detection, and encryption, and reduces the agency’s operating costs for telecommunications services. The FAA has ever-increasing demands for bandwidth to meet its information exchange requirements. FTI meets those demands in an efficient way.  FTI is one of the agency’s largest acquisitions, totaling $2.4 billion. Harris was awarded the FTI contract in July 2002.