FAA Awards $5B Contract for Hundreds of Digital Voice Switches

Agency plans to install 462 new systems as part of its air traffic control modernization effort.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 01:57 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The FAA picked Rohde & Schwarz USA to install up to 462 new digital voice switches at air traffic control facilities nationwide. [Credit: Rohde & Schwarz USA]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has awarded Rohde & Schwarz USA a nearly $5 billion contract to replace hundreds of outdated analog air traffic control (ATC) communication switchboards with modern digital voice switches.
This modernization is a core component of the FAA's $12.5 billion "Brand New ATC System" (BNATCS) plan, aiming to transition the nation's ATC system from antiquated TDM technology to more efficient and reliable VoIP-enabled systems.
The upgrade provides controllers with advanced digital interfaces, enables dynamic airspace adjustments, and supports broader efforts to modernize infrastructure, including fiber-optic wiring, new radars, and future AI-powered predictive software.

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The FAA has selected a vendor to replace hundreds of analog air traffic control (ATC) communications switchboards with digital voice switches as it continues to modernize the nation’s ATC system.

Rohde & Schwarz USA, the American subsidiary of the German electronics manufacturer, said April 21 that it won a contract worth almost $5 billion to replace up to 462 antiquated voice switches—many of them decades old—with modern systems designed to allow controllers to more quickly and easily toggle between radio channels.