One of the most interesting SATCOM applications today, appears to be in the field of providing Internet access on board of commercial airplanes. Either in the form of pure entertainment (movies, games, skype types of phone calls, WEB browsing), or as a business enabling tool (emails, large data processing, cloud services accessing), Internet access on long haul flights has certainly a strong appeal.
Today, there are several companies providing these services, and in the vast majority, access is provided via cellular networks, while flying above areas covered by these services. In case of over the sea travel, the cellular networks are not available, and there for the Satellite Access is the only access way.
The purpose of this white paper is to provide a highlight into the complex nature of Airborne Satcom Applications, with a view on the current challenges and solutions envisioned by Advantech Wireless.
