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NextGen Now | Summer 2015
NAS Voice System
Economic Impact • Sustainability • Flexibility • Safety
November 2014
To orchestrate air traffic in the NextGen era, air traffic
controllers need flexible communications tools. Today,
communication among controllers and between
controllers and pilots is enabled by analog voice
switches operating on specified frequencies within
carefully defined and restricted geographical areas.
About a dozen different models of voice switches,
some several decades old, are used.
The National Airspace
System (NAS) Voice
System (NVS) will
replace the current
inventory of switches with
a nationwide network
that supports future
NextGen requirements.
Built on state-of-the-art
digital technology, NVS
is designed to use Voice
over Intranet Protocol
(VoIP) technology on a
secure and exclusive
FAA network, which
will standardize the
voice communication
infrastructure among air
traffic facilities.
NVS will provide the
flexibility to reroute voice communications so that
controllers in different facilities will be able to assist
each other during busy periods or if voice switches in
a facility are interrupted. It will also more effectively
support Unmanned Aircraft Systems communication.
NVS is an investment by the FAA. While providing
efficiency and safety benefits for controllers and aircraft
operators, NVS will require no additional equipage by
operators.
The Next Generation Air Transportation System,
or NextGen, is a transformative change in the
management and operation of how we fly, which will
reduce delays, save fuel and lower carbon emissions.
This comprehensive initiative integrates new and
existing technologies, including satellite navigation
and advanced digital communications. Airports and
aircraft in the NAS will be connected to NextGen's
advanced infrastructure and will continually share
information in realtime to improve air transportation's
safety, speed, efficiency and environmental impacts.
The combined initiatives that make up NextGen will
provide a better travel experience.
www.faa.gov/nextgen/nvs page 1 of 1
