A.I. is an approach to provide a
general purpose high speed digital network to aviation. In doing so it has the
potential to provide significant cost savings for aircrafts operators and the
FAA, as it allows the consolidation of many functions into a common data
channel.
Why Airborne Internet?
There are mainly two reasons for the development of
Airborne Internet:
Small Aircrafts Transportation System (SATS)
A.I. began as a supporting technology for the NASA’s
SATS. NASA is creating an infrastructure for fleets of small aircraft. People
won’t have to fly between large cities on jet airliners. Instead, they will be
able to fly themselves right to where they want to go. This would speed up air
travel. But, it would need a major change in air traffic control to be able to
manage thousands of small airplanes filling the skies. That’s where the
“Airborne Internet” comes in.
Also, when people travel, they experience “connectivity
down time” in which they are detached from the information that their network
provided. The time people spend in transit could be turned into more productive
time if network connectivity were available. This can be accomplished using the
A.I.
Need
for a higher bandwidth
The second reason is related with the need for a higher
bandwidth. Land-based lines are limited physically in how much data they can
deliver because of the diameter of the cable or phone line. In an airborne
Internet, there is no such physical limitation, enabling a broader capacity.
Principle & Working
Currently in aviation, very little information can be
updated digitally during flight. At best, some information is updated using the
analogue voice channel. Using XML aviation services, aircraft operators could
receive automatic updates of weather, landing conditions at the destination
airport, turbulence ahead, and other information. Airborne Internet could be
the means by which the aviation industry will realize these benefits by
providing XML services capability to aircraft.
The A.I Aircraft will house packet switching circuitry
and fast digital network functions. The communications antenna and related
components will be located in a pod suspended below the aircraft fuselage. To
offer "ubiquitous" service throughout a large region, the antenna
will utilize multiple beams arranged in a typical cellular pattern. Broadband
channels to subscribers in adjacent cells will be separated in frequency. As
the beams traverse over a user location, the virtual path through the packet
switch will be changed to perform a beam-to-beam handoff.
The airborne Internet will not be completely wireless.
There will be ground-based components to any type of airborne Internet network.
The consumers will have to install an antenna on their home or business in
order to receive signals from the network hub overhead. The networks will also
work with established Internet Service Providers (ISPs), who will provide their
high-capacity terminals for use by the network. These ISPs have a fiber point
of presence -- their fiber optics is already set up. What the airborne Internet
will do is provide an infrastructure that can reach areas that don't have broadband
cables and wires.
The Airborne Network Architecture
Advantages
The airborne Internet will function much like
satellite-based Internet access, but without the time delay. Satellites orbit
at several hundreds of miles above Earth. The airborne-Internet aircraft will
circle overhead at an altitude of 52,000 to 69,000 feet (15,849 to 21,031
meters). At this altitude, the aircraft will be undisturbed by inclement
weather and flying well above commercial air traffic.
Networks using high-altitude aircraft will also have a
cost advantage over satellites because the aircraft can be deployed easily --
they don't have to be launched into space. However, the airborne Internet will
actually be used to compliment the satellite and ground-based networks, not
replace them.
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