How does private wireless enhance cybersecurity and data control for airport systems?
Speaker: Johnathan Lewis, Innovation Division Director, Miami Dade Aviation Department
Great question. From a cybersecurity perspective, one of the things that appealed to me early on was the added layer of security provided through the subscriber identity module (SIM). That was the first advantage. The second is that the private wireless network is not openly advertised the way Wi-Fi is with an SSID. Because it isn’t visible in that way, the potential attack surface is much smaller.
Since then, we’ve implemented private wireless zero-trust appliances into our infrastructure to further enhance network security. Overall, we view private wireless as significantly more secure than Wi-Fi.
As we’ve expanded our private wireless network and clarified its role within our airport operations, we’ve shifted our public Wi-Fi entirely toward passenger use — providing free connectivity for travelers. Meanwhile, our private cellular network supports what we consider “business-class” wireless services: mission-critical operations, secure device connectivity, and high-reliability airport systems.
