Houston Airports Elevate Traveler Experience with HPE Aruba Networking

Houston Airports, a key player in North America's public airport systems, announced it is enhancing traveler experiences with a significant modernization effort in collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).

This announcement is an expansion of its current partnership with HPE and will include improved connectivity with a Wi-Fi 6E-enabled HPE Aruba Networking solution.

In addition to better wireless and location-based services offered to the approximately 60 million passengers and visitors who travel through George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport annually, it will also offer advanced functionalities such as IoT gateway capabilities for Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Wi-Fi enabled devices.

Houston Airports play a pivotal role in the region's economy, contributing over $36 billion and sustaining more than 190,000 jobs.

Its new high-performance, complimentary guest Wi-Fi connectivity wayfinding app makes it possible for travelers to navigate through the airport facilities efficiently. Things like estimated walking times, real-time parking availability updates, and the ability to locate parked vehicles within airport structures. Additionally, travelers can access real-time flight information, preview security checkpoint wait times, and visualize restaurant and shop locations, among other useful functionalities.

The HPE Aruba Networking Beacons will also augment location-based telemetry data in support of its innovative mobile app, developed using The Aruba Meridian App Platform.

Collaborating with local partner Layer 3 Communications, Houston Airports strategically opted for location-aware Wi-Fi 6E access points from HPE Aruba Networking to future-proof its wireless networks and ensure scalability.]

IoT sensors will also gather data for smarter restroom management, facilitating real-time adjustments to maintenance schedules based on fluctuating foot traffic patterns.

“We’re continuously evolving our services to supply travelers and facility users with next-generation connectivity experiences, while also being good stewards of public funds,” said Darryl Daniel, CTO at Houston Airports. “HPE Aruba Networking has proven a responsive, reliable partner that has provided us with robust, cost-effective solutions for our wireless infrastructure.”

“With the skyrocketing expectation for seamless and reliable content streaming, including consuming bandwidth-hungry 4K video, implementing Wi-Fi 6E just made sense,” said Craig Wall, General Manager, Western Region at Layer 3 Communications. “Deploying HPE Aruba Networking for guest wireless ensured Houston Airports could provide high-performance, reliable connectivity to millions of travelers around the clock, while keeping IT overhead low due to the solution’s proven reliability and ease of management.”