Ethical Hacking News
ZTE's 5G-A ISAC private network has successfully launched at Dalian Changhai Airport, achieving impressive performance outcomes in low-altitude security and airport safety. The solution showcases the potential of 5G technology to transform the aviation industry.
ZTE Corporation, China Unicom Liaoning, and Dalian Changhai Airport successfully launched a 5G-A private network integrating intelligent computing, sensing, and communications (ISAC) for low-altitude security and airport safety. The solution addresses unique security challenges faced by airports with complex island terrain and maritime climates, including limited radar coverage and blind spots. The 5G-A ISAC private network unifies high-throughput connectivity and precision sensing in the same network element, achieving radar-like capability without separate radar hardware. Intelligent computing boards run AI models that fuse cellular sensing with video and geographic data for real-time multi-target classification, including bird-versus-drone discrimination. The solution has demonstrated impressive performance outcomes, including 98% low-altitude target detection accuracy and a 97% reduction in blind-spot rate. Regular deployment and operation of the network resulted in significant improvements to response times and patrol frequency. The architecture lays the foundation for low-altitude economy services and value-chain expansion, with open interfaces reserved for future integration. The solution offers a scalable alternative to traditional radar-centric systems, reducing investment payback by nearly 60%.
In a groundbreaking collaboration, ZTE Corporation, China Unicom Liaoning, and Dalian Changhai Airport have successfully launched a 5G-A private network integrating intelligent computing, sensing, and communications (ISAC) to elevate low-altitude security and airport safety. This innovative solution has demonstrated impressive performance outcomes, showcasing the potential of 5G technology to transform the aviation industry.
The launch of this 5G-A ISAC private network is a significant milestone in the development of low-altitude security solutions. The partnership between ZTE, China Unicom Liaoning, and Dalian Changhai Airport aims to address the unique security challenges faced by airports with complex island terrain and maritime climates. Conventional patrols and single-sensor radars often leave material blind spots for "low, slow, small" targets such as drones and bird flocks, resulting in extended response cycles to runway intrusions.
To combat these limitations, the partners have deployed a 5G-A ISAC architecture that unifies high-throughput connectivity and precision sensing in the same network element. ZTE's millimeter-wave ISAC base stations operating in mmWave spectrum transmit 5G signals whose reflections are analyzed for time-of-arrival, Doppler, and phase characteristics, reconstructing target position, velocity, and trajectory with sub-meter precision. This approach achieves radar-like capability without separate radar hardware.
At the edge, intelligent computing boards run AI models that fuse cellular sensing with video and geographic data for real-time multi-target classification, including bird-versus-drone discrimination. The system design incorporates RedCap lightweight access to extend coverage across airspace, runway, and ground operations and onboard cameras and sensors in traditionally hard-to-reach locations.
China Unicom Liaoning, serving as the overall coordinator, led planning, private network deployment, integration, and operations. ZTE delivered the ISAC base stations, on-premises core network, and end-to-end private network solution. Dalian Changhai Airport provided the scenario, requirements, and operational coordination.
Since entering routine 24/7 service, the solution has demonstrated analyst-grade performance outcomes:
* Low-altitude target detection accuracy up to 98% in live operations
* Blind-spot rate for "low, slow, small" targets reduced from 30% to 5%—an over 80% relative reduction
* Mean response time for runway intrusions and equipment anomalies compressed from 15 minutes to 2 minutes—an 87% improvement
* Manual patrol frequency reduced from every two hours to once daily while maintaining zero safety incidents across 120 secured test flight missions
The private network employs hard isolation with locally deployed core elements, strong access authentication, and encrypted transport. Sensitive test flight data undergo edge desensitization before any uplink, with full lifecycle logging for auditability. China Unicom Liaoning's 7×24 governance, automated vulnerability scanning, and rapid response processes sustain annual network availability exceeding 99.99% and keep repair times within stringent operational targets.
Beyond airport security, the architecture lays a foundation for low-altitude economy services and value-chain expansion. With open interfaces reserved for future integration, the platform can support drone scheduling, data traceability, and broader "air-space-ground" applications. Compared with conventional "communications plus external radar" overlays, the ISAC approach enables "one network, dual capabilities," reducing deployment space and capital intensity while accelerating time-to-value.
In planned next steps, the partners will explore scenario replication to additional regional airports and closed-campus environments, and evolve toward fusion sensing networks with broader coverage and higher precision. The approach also shortens investment payback versus traditional radar-centric systems by nearly 60%, improving scalability for wider adoption.
The successful launch of ZTE's 5G-A ISAC private network establishes a replicable template for intelligent low-altitude security and marks a significant milestone for 5G-A private networks in critical infrastructure. By combining ZTE's ISAC and edge AI innovations with China Unicom Liaoning's deployment and O&M excellence and Dalian Changhai Airport's operational domain expertise, the project demonstrates the potential of 5G technology to transform the aviation industry.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/ZTEs-5G-A-ISAC-Private-Network-Revolutionizes-Low-Altitude-Security-and-Airport-Safety-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/11/25/zte-launches-5g-a-isac-network/
https://www.zte.com.cn/global/about/news/ZTE-China-Unicom-Liaoning-and-Dalian-Changhai-Airport-launch-5G-A-ISAC-private-network-to-elevate-low-altitude-security-and-airport-safety.html
https://www.lycomgroup.com/info-detail/liaoning-unicom-and-zte-achieve-10gbps-5g-a-speed-test-in-dalian
Published: Tue Nov 25 06:26:43 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
