In-Flight Broadband Connectivity : Architectures and Business Models for High Capacity Air-to-Ground Communications

摘要

In-flight broadband connectivity (IFBC) is a significant open market for mobile network operators considering more than 3.3 billion passengers being served by airlines in2015. On-board broadband services are provided via air-to-ground(A2G) connectivity through direct A2G communications(DA2GC) and satellite A2G communications (SA2GC). Available on-board connectivity systems have significant limitations: high latency in SA2GC and low capacity in DA2GC. The customer expectancy is multi-Mbps connections in every seat which leads to capacity requirements of Gbps to the aircraft. Creation of high capacity IFBC requires a collaborative interaction between different industrial partners. For this reason, we investigate A2Garchitectures in terms of economic and technical perspectives, and propose business models by identifying new roles and positioning them in the A2G business ecosystem. In addition, we provide an extensive summary of the state-of-the-art and future improvements for A2G communications.