Satellite Capacity Dimensioning for In-flight Internet Services in the North Atlantic Region

In this paper we provide an estimation of the net satellite capacity needed to reliably offer In-Flight Internet services to aircraft flying in the North-Atlantic region. For this work we took into account the expected dynamic usage of AirCom (Aeronautical Communications) Internet services, the average aircraft’ cabin configurations and the characteristics of the North Atlantic routes. INTRODUCTION Within some years it will become unthinkable to fly without any Internet access point onboard the aircraft. In [1] we provided realistic estimations of the revenues deriving from the aeronautical Internet services offered on North Atlantic flights, approximately the IATA zones 1, 2 and 3, and of the usage of those services. These results were presented according to the aircraft types used on these routes and to their average cabin configuration. The acquired knowledge about the average data rates needed for AirCom Internet services was already a first important step for the system design but did not yet include information about the actual net satellite capacity needed to guarantee QoS. In [6] we provided a statistical evaluation of the expected cumulative AirCom Internet users’ behaviour and we showed which net channel capacity is required per aircraft. In this paper we provide the net satellite link capacity for different aircraft types needed to offer AirCom Internet services, at least 99% of the time. This link capacity per aircraft is then summed up to all fights over the North-Atlantic region, to be served e.g. through a geo-stationary satellite. AVERAGE RATE ESTIMATION In [1] we estimated the average data rates needed by AirCom Internet to send and receive information users during North Atlantic flights. Since this estimation was the basis of our investigations on the dynamic behaviour of this kind of Internet user, we shortly recall in the sequel our methodology and the most important results. These results will be presented in terms of expected number of users (achievable market) and consequent traffic data rates.