As airports increasingly adopt artificial intelligence (AI), automation, video analytics, mobile applications and real-time operational systems, reliable connectivity has become fundamental essential infrastructure, and as it addresses its needs, Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) has deployed a private 5G network at Minneapolis–St Paul International Airport (MSP) to provide reliable wireless connectivity for current airport operations and act as a foundation for future digital transformation initiatives.
Established in 1943 by the State of Minnesota to operate as an airport authority serving the greater Minneapolis–St Paul area, the MAC has a stated aim of working to provide a “friendly, efficient and safe experience” for travellers at MSP and six other Twin Cities airports.
In 2025, the MAC set records for both international destinations (35) and passengers (3.61 million). The MAC’s general aviation airports saw nearly 385,000 operations in 2025, an increase of about 3% from 2024, driven by significant increases at Flying Cloud Airport and Crystal Airport.
As a top 20 US airport by passenger volume, MSP is regarded as playing a vital role in supporting business and leisure travel between the Upper Midwest and global destinations. Yet, after four years of steady growth, total passengers at MSP declined by roughly 3% to 36.1 million in 2025, as some airlines reduced flight activity due to industry challenges.
That said, 2025 was also a record-setting year for international passengers at 3.61 million – 10% of MSP’s 36,071,627 total passengers last year. In 2025, airlines at MSP served 166 nonstop destinations, an increase from 163 in 2024. This included 35 nonstop international routes, also a new record. International growth was buoyed by new nonstop routes from Delta Air Lines to Rome, Italy and Copenhagen, Denmark.
Year-on-year, overall passenger declines notwithstanding, for MSP, the focus in on growth, and hence the need for advanced operational technology.
Airports operate at massive scale across sprawling grounds – such as the tarmac, terminals and hangars – that all require constant, simultaneous connectivity. The reality is that public networks congest at peak times and Wi-Fi can’t reach the runways. The result is that ground crews could lose coordination, surveillance systems can drop offline and emergency response times can spike.
In addition, modern operational technologies such as in-motion mobile devices, surveillance systems and various internet applications for real-time data historically relied on Wi-Fi, which is seen as being vulnerable to interference from unmanaged devices, operational obstacles on the airfield and mobility challenges as equipment moves between access points.
To address these challenges, the MAC sought a connectivity platform that would help provide broader, more seamless coverage with predictable high performance across MSP’s five-square-mile campus, spanning both indoor and outdoor environments. The solution was a Private 5G network from Ericsson.
Rather than expanding Wi-Fi infrastructure or investing in additional fibre, the network has been built to give MSP its own dedicated wireless infrastructure separate from public cellular and Wi-Fi networks. The MAC is said to have selected the Ericsson Private 5G service to deliver enterprise-grade wireless connectivity with the mobility, reliability and coverage required for complex airport operations.
The network supports key technologies by providing connections to video systems, common-use ticketing equipment and mobile workforce applications. Airport personnel use connected tablets throughout operational areas, while the network provides dedicated, secure cellular coverage across outdoor environments such as runways, taxiways and gate areas.
“Transportation, public safety, maintenance, security and other airport operations all depend on connectivity. We’re basically running a city without residents,” said Eduardo Valencia, chief information officer for the MAC.
“The Private 5G network provides enterprise-grade connectivity across our campus, especially across a challenging airfield environment which requires a growing number of systems and mobile assets to maintain safe and efficient operations.”
Cradlepoint routers
The network also supports dozens of connected airport vehicles equipped with Ericsson Cradlepoint routers. These are intended to provide MSP teams with reliable access to operational applications across the airfield while enabling connectivity through both private 5G and public cellular networks when needed.
One of MSP’s early use cases includes the deployment of a private cellular-enabled camera system from Axis Communications, providing HD video monitoring on airport trams.
“Traditionally, our cameras had relied on wired connectivity. Private 5G now enables continuous video access without interruption,” said Bill Boyd, director of infrastructure and operations for the MAC’s information technology department. “Private 5G allows us to quickly get secure coverage and more data across our operations.”
Looking ahead, the MAC envisions extending connectivity to airlines, concessionaires and other airport partners while expanding its own use to improve maintenance and operations.
To bring the deployment to life, Insight Enterprises resold and manages the Ericsson Private 5G service, while systems integrator Pierson Wireless led deployment and installation activities. “Deploying a private cellular network across a large and operationally complex airport environment requires close collaboration across technology providers and stakeholders,” said Scott Friedlander, senior vice-president of Insight Public Sector.
“Together with Ericsson and the MAC, we were able to deliver a connectivity platform that supports today’s operational needs while laying a foundation for future expansion and emerging use cases.”
