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Although satellite and hybrid Air to Ground (A2G) systems are available today, a cost-effective, high-bandwidth solution for in-flight broadband, especially for passenger entertainment like video on demand and multimedia communications, remains elusive. Ku band and Ka band satellite solutions, which create for the link between digital services and airplanes are efficient for long-haul flights on intercontinental routes over oceans, at least in terms of coverage.
However, a satellite-based solution are less feasible for short- and medium-haul continental flights due to the equipment's weight, bulk, and high cost, along with significant latency in high-traffic airspace. Installling Ka band and Ku band satellite modems on continental aircraft, also demands substantial investments in infrastructure. Additionally, while S-band, Ka-band satellite solutions can provide similar data rates to A2G, their 36,000-kilometer transmission path to geostationary orbits (GSO) is a drawback for delay-sensitive applications.
Challenges in Achieving Cost-Effective Inflight Connectivity with LTE and Satcom
High Costs of Satellite Communication (Satcom)
Traditional Satcom services using Ku, Ka, and L-band frequencies are costly, both for airlines and passengers. These expenses drive up the overall price of inflight connectivity, pushing airlines to seek more cost-effective alternatives without compromising service quality.
Demand for Cost-Effective Inflight Internet
As passenger expectations for inflight internet access grow, airlines are under pressure to provide affordable and reliable connectivity solutions. Current offerings struggle to balance high costs with the need for consistent, global internet access, prompting the industry to explore new technologies like LTE to lower costs.
Need for Lightweight Communication Software Components
Airlines require communication software that is not only cheaper but also lightweight, efficient, and easy to integrate. This includes managing passenger, crew, and device access through Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA), as well as billing functionalities—all while keeping the system streamlined.
Integration of LTE-Based Networks with Satcom
Integrating high-powered LTE networks alongside Satcom services presents a technical challenge. This hybrid model must seamlessly connect to both ground antennas and sea-based stations, allowing for global coverage without sacrificing performance or reliability. This integration also ensures inflight internet and critical communication systems function smoothly.
Ensuring Scalability and Flexibility for Aircraft Data Transmission
The system must not only support inflight connectivity but also ensure that vital aircraft data, such as operational parameters, can be transmitted securely to ground stations. It must be flexible enough to reconfigure LTE services and work with different access control mechanisms for real-time data tracking and communications.
4G LTE and P5G: Revolutionizing Inflight Connectivity and Reducing Costs
Compared to traditional communication technologies, 4G LTE/P5G networks can slash delivery costs by up to by 40 to 50% per gigabyte from the onset, offering a far more economical solution for inflight connectivity. For commercial long-distance flights, end-user prices can be reduced by as much as 90% when using LTE in wholesale mode, making inflight connectivity more affordable and accessible. LTE is a versatile technology, operating across a wide spectrum and accommodating various channel bandwidths, ensuring scalability and efficient performance. According to recent analyses, LTE networks can deliver download speeds of up to 300 Mbps, offering passengers a seamless internet experience, while lowering operational costs for airlines.
These advancements are helping airlines provide high-quality, cost-effective inflight services, bridging the gap between traditional mobile telephony and modern mobile broadband.
Air-to-Ground vs. Satellite Communication: A Quick Comparison
Air to Ground – Continental Planes
Satellite Communication ( LEO/GSO ) - InterContinental Planes
Lower equipment cost
Higher equipment cost
Lower cost per MB with quick installation time
Higher costs per MB with longer installation process
Minimized fuel confusion by implementing low-weight flight communication boxes
Increased weight resulting in higher plane fuel usage
Low latency
User performance limited and high latency limits
Primarily limited to landmass communication only
Capable of communication over both land and sea
LC-A2GIC LTE will not replace satellite broadband but will complement it, offering unprecedented performance levels for in-flight connectivity. The system is built on COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf), with specific algorithms managing the particular characteristics of air-to-ground operations, including large cells covering distances between 100 and 150 kilometres and aircraft speeds reaching 1,200 kilometres per hour. The onboard aircraft equipment is modular and highly versatile, consisting of one or two small antennas mounted below the fuselage and a compact, lightweight A2G onboard unit (OBU) or Hybrid Access Gateway (HAG) gateway, which includes a transceiver that acts as a hub and ground interface. Even with aircraft speeds of 1,200 kilometres per hour and distances of up to 150 kilometres between base stations, the connection with the ground infrastructure remains intact. Flight altitude poses no concerns either, as service remains uninterrupted at the long-haul cruising altitude of 13 kilometres (37,000 feet). The OBU/ HAG Gateway supports a wide variety of onboard access technologies. Passenger connectivity is provided via Wi-Fi or 4G, while entertainment systems and flight deck applications can connect through Cabin Optical Core and Ethernet Access for high-speed communication.
Proposed Solution
An LC-A2GIC solution that includes an onboard auto-buffer management and connectivity system that immediately stores data in case the network disconnects and reconnects within a set interval. We suggest integrating a multipurpose router capable of instantly switching between Satellite and LTE networks. Satellite network connectivity is essential for specific onboard or off-board voice, video, and data communication related to flight health management and sensor data transmission, addressing requirements such as time-criticality, sensor types, predicted sensor numbers, data bit outputs, sensor data rates, and ARINC services (500, 700, 800, 429, 717, etc.). Critical system parameters are stored in the flight’s onboard black box, with a copy sent to the ground station.
The Inflight Connectivity System includes a physical aviation hardware component that houses the entire system within the aircraft, comprising server hardware, network interfaces, and other associated peripherals required to manage the infrastructure and ARINC interfaces. The host is a high-performance server with sufficient storage and memory resources to store information in the event of network disconnects or connection loss due to environmental factors. This module established a robust Internet pipeline between the flight and ground High-powered LTE Antennas. This “fat pipe” carries various data streams including, data/voice connections for inflight passengers accessing internet services and applications. While planes move away from land particularly over oceans,, high-powered LTE networks relay connections to the Communication OBU/HMI Gateway through ships equipped with LTE antennas.
Fig: Cyient Low Cost - Air to Ground Internet Communications
The system supports multiple virtual machines (VMs) with embedded web servers and provides ARINC429 interface connectivity for processing avionics data. VMs provide isolated environments for running different applications on the same physical hardware. They are controlled and configured via the device controller and can be managed remotely with a secure shell and certificate-based authentication system to ensure secure, access-controlled communication.
The Data Control Station remotely manages and configures various aspects of the Inflight Control System, communicating with the host to enforce firewall rules, traffic shaping, and routing rules, among other configurations. It serves as the administrative interface for managing system components and VMs, including the remote configuration of firewalls, routing, and VM management. A well-defined security system employs several technologies such as secure embedded OS in enforcing mode, Secure Shell access with IP restrictions, and logging and alert systems for tracking access attempts and system activities.
The platform enforces mandatory access controls, ensuring only authorised users can connect. All system activities are logged, and alerts are triggered for abnormal events. The system supports various monitoring and control interfaces, including the ARINC 429 interface, GPIO interface, and SNMP. The ARINC 429 interface listens to aircraft data, and the GPIO interface provides configurable inputs and outputs. The SNMP protocol monitors and controls network devices, with the system dashboard displayed through Prometheus and Grafana. The inflight connectivity system also manages access points and provides services like DHCP/DNS access and secure services to the cabin network equipment.
The system also manages access points to provide cabin internet services, hosting auto-configuration files, tracking the health of the access points, and offering DHCP services to network devices. This architecture provides a secure, scalable, and highly configurable system for managing in-flight connectivity infrastructure. The life cycle data will be executed in accordance with our extensive experience handling DO 178C, DAL-D, DO-254, and DO-178 QA and certification processes.
Conclusion
With the global rise in flight connectivity and the growing importance of internet access as a utility, it is becoming a fundamental right for passengers to have access to data and voice services through a cost-effective solution. With this model, a Network Operator can provide everything- spectrum, the LC-A2GC LTE network, and a roaming agreement - while managing the direct commercial relationship with the end customer (passengers) and handling the sale and maintenance of onboard equipment. Service providers and mobile operators looking to implement LC-A2GC LTE must consider factors such as budget, regulatory issues, internal resource constraints, coverage and reliability targets, available spectrum and the number of end users to choose the best design and business model. They must also account for customers’ needs for internal services such as uploading and downloading essential flight data during ground stops, enhanced maintenance, high-bandwidth internal services during gate preparation, taxiing, take off, initial climb and approach. Airlines and potential business aviation customers have their own set of considerations that require expert guidance, including the choice of Wi-Fi or 3G/LTE small cells for onboard connections, the type of aircraft to be modified, compatibility with existing internal communications and maintenance systems, budget constraints and the backhaul provided through network service provider.
Acronyms:
LC-A2GIC: Low-Cost Air-to-Ground Internet Communication
SATCOM: Satellite Communication
GSO: Geostationary orbits
P5G: Private 5G Networks
VM: Virtual Machines
OBU: Onboard Unit
HAG: Hybrid Access Gateway
COTS: Commercial of the shelf
C4E: Communication for Enterprises
ARNIC: Aeronautical Radio INC
DNS/DHCP – Domain Name Server/Dynamic Host Communication Protocol
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Cyient (Estd: 1991, NSE: CYIENT) delivers Intelligent Engineering solutions across Product, Plant and Network for digital, autonomous and sustainable future to over 300 customers, including 40% of the top 100 global innovators. As a company, Cyient is committed to designing a culturally inclusive, socially responsible, and environmentally sustainable tomorrow together with our stakeholders.
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