Keeping the lines of communication open at Farnborough could only be described as a logistical nightmare for the BT team which maintains the show's telephone network.
The scale of the task is such that BT begins its preparations for show week in April and will still have an engineering presence here well into October.
More than 80,000m of cabling has been laid by the 28-strong engineering squad.
The project is even more complex this year with the cable network to the halls and chalets ‘going underground' for the first time.
Two mobile exchanges have been set up alongside the BT Sales and Installation office to service the needs of both the SBAC and the exhibitors.
The first exchange deals with the show organisers' own internal systems and provides links to the fire, police and ambulance services on site.
The second serves the halls and chalets which house the 1,070 exhibitors who are attending Farnborough this year.
Systems
"We have a total of 1,200 lines in operation," says BT's site supervisor Bill Fryer. "In addition to that, there are another 35 to 40 telephone systems with extension lines in place.
"We have to be prepared for any eventuality and if one of the mobile exchanges were to go down for any reason, we could replace it within a matter of hours and still keep the lines open."
Ground technicians arrived on site in April to check that the underground cabling was in full working order.
They were followed by an advance team in July which installed the first cabling to the stands and chalets.
Fryer says: "To some extent we are reliant on other contractors such as the standfitters before we can complete our work but so far there haven't been any major hitches.
"There are a lot of unsung heroes who help us to keep the operation running. The project management team and the exchange staff all have a part to play."
The final piece in the BT jigsaw is the provision of payphones for public use. More than 40 telephones have been installed in two mobile caravans and at strategic points around the site.
Source: Flight Daily News
