New Model for Narrow-body Aircraft Connectivity
Author: IT Times Reporter Sun Yan
Editor: Qian Lifu
On a flight from Shanghai to Beijing, passengers are often seen glued to their phones or working on laptops from takeoff to landing. An Eastern Airlines flight attendant remarked, “Business travelers tend to prefer flights with in-flight Wi-Fi.”
This phenomenon has become increasingly common since 2023. This year, domestic flights have lifted the restriction of 3,000 meters altitude for internet access, allowing passengers to enjoy full internet services from takeoff to landing. For ordinary travelers, smooth internet access at 10,000 meters has become a reality.
At the third Civil Aviation Science and Technology Innovation Achievement Exhibition, which opened on May 26, the domestic aviation internet company, Air-Ground Interconnection Network Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Air-Ground Interconnection”), has made further advancements in in-flight internet technology: the domestically produced large aircraft C919 is expected to utilize Chinese internet by the end of this year, and quantum communication will also be implemented in the skies.
AI, localization, and security have become the three key words in aviation connectivity. How can we ensure that the public can afford and effectively use Chinese internet at 10,000 meters? How can we equip domestically produced large aircraft with first-class Chinese internet? How can we ensure that the integrated air-ground network is completely autonomous, controllable, and secure? Before in-flight internet becomes a standard feature on every aircraft, these three challenges lie ahead for domestic aviation internet companies.
AI’s “Strongest Brain”
Driving the “Heart of Airborne Networks”
In the Air-Ground Interconnection exhibition area, visitors are drawn to a colorful globe that displays aircraft currently flying in the sky and supporting in-flight internet. Clicking on any aircraft brings up detailed flight information on the right side of the screen: this flight is from Melbourne International Airport to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, has been in the air for 5 hours and 15 minutes, and shows how many passengers are on board, how many internet orders have been placed, total traffic, and average traffic…One click back to the “global perspective” allows viewers to see the overall status of the global fleet.
Geostationary satellites approximately 35,786 kilometers away are also displayed in real-time on the big screen, allowing technicians to monitor the signal connection between the satellite and the ground station. When we focus on the Asia-Pacific 6D satellite, we can not only see its real-time position but also monitor key parameters such as signal strength and transmission rate between it and the ground station. The stability of this communication link directly affects the internet experience of passengers on every Air-Ground Interconnection aircraft.
When aircraft fly over the Arctic Circle and polar regions, passengers can still maintain stable internet access, a breakthrough made possible by AI. In the Arctic Circle and polar regions, satellite signal coverage and strength can be affected by the curvature of the Earth, satellite orbital positions, and polar ionospheric interference, leading to signal transmission limitations. However, the AI system continuously monitors signal changes as flights enter and exit polar airspace, adjusting communication parameters for polar routes, such as dynamic beam adjustments, ensuring passengers have seamless internet access in the air.
The AI intelligent monitoring system developed by Air-Ground Interconnection can automatically predict affected flight areas and times once it detects anomalies, and it can promptly initiate emergency plans and adjust communication strategies.
According to Zhang Chi, General Manager of Air-Ground Interconnection, with the support of AI, the entire process from monitoring and predicting to troubleshooting takes only 3 minutes, often resolving issues before passengers even notice them. Previously, manual fault response times could take up to half an hour.
The AI “strongest brain” has doubled the usage rate of in-flight internet while significantly reducing operational costs for airlines.
This AI “strongest brain” can be developed autonomously and controllably, thanks to years of accumulated data “feeding” it. So far, Air-Ground Interconnection has provided internet access services for a total of 117 wide-body aircraft from Eastern Airlines and Juneyao Airlines, supporting 268,000 connected flights and serving 58 million onboard passengers, covering 51% of the domestic market share.
Based on the development experience of the AI “strongest brain”, Air-Ground Interconnection plans to launch a controllable and trustworthy network management system by December 2024, referred to as the “heart of airborne networks.” This system is tailored to the needs of Chinese airlines and passengers for internet connectivity, allowing for precise dynamic resource allocation in real-time. It is also the only internet access platform in the country that supports multi-operator redundancy structures and hot backup for all subsystems, enhancing user experience while ensuring economic efficiency, making aviation internet operations more stable and reliable.
Domestic Large Aircraft Will Become
A New Model for Narrow-body Aircraft Connectivity
Beyond the comprehensive empowerment of AI, “localization” has become a significant keyword in aviation connectivity. For a long time, aviation internet solutions have been monopolized by foreign companies, making it difficult to achieve autonomous control over hardware, technology, and platform data, which greatly limits the popularity and user experience of Air-Ground Interconnection. In the face of emergencies, there is often a lack of autonomous response capability, posing potential risks to aviation safety and operational efficiency.
“Airlines wanting to launch an advertisement on the in-flight entertainment system must decode it abroad, updating each aircraft one by one.” A business representative interfacing with airlines told IT Times that the after-sales support and localization services from foreign equipment manufacturers are often inconvenient and struggle to keep up with the rapidly changing demands of the domestic market and users.
“We are collaborating with partners like Electric Power Aviation Electronics to jointly create a laboratory for domestically produced autonomous and controllable connectivity solutions, aiming to enable domestically produced large aircraft to utilize Chinese internet, expected to be achieved by the end of this year,” Zhang Chi told IT Times.
The Eastern Airlines C919 is a representative of domestically produced large aircraft, which has already implemented the local area network provided by Air-Ground Interconnection for its in-flight entertainment system. By the end of this year, it may connect to a domestically produced autonomous and controllable internet. At that time, passengers will be able to use WeChat, stream videos, and hold video conferences on the domestically produced large aircraft.
Zhang Chi believes that the domestically produced large aircraft C919 will become a “new model” for internet connectivity in China’s narrow-body aircraft.
At the Air-Ground Interconnection booth, IT Times reporters saw the domestically produced phased array antenna that will be installed on the large aircraft, developed independently by China Electronics Technology Aviation Electronics Co., Ltd. This is a core component of the aviation internet communication system, primarily responsible for achieving high-speed data transmission between the aircraft and satellites. “Globally, phased array antennas have only begun to be used on commercial aircraft since the beginning of this year. If we install it on the domestically produced large aircraft by the end of this year and successfully achieve internet connectivity, we will have no technological gap compared to foreign counterparts,” explained Lu Gang, Operations Director of Air-Ground Interconnection.
Next to the Air-Ground Interconnection booth is the COMAC booth, where the domestically produced large aircraft C919 attracts a steady stream of visitors for discussion. By the end of this year or early next year, passengers will be able to use Chinese internet on the domestically produced large aircraft, with all supporting hardware and solutions achieving domestic autonomy and control. This means that China’s aviation internet technology will shift from being a follower to a leader.
Quantum Casting for Integrated Air-Ground
Secure Transmission Chain
Historically, aviation has primarily focused on flight safety, but as in-flight internet becomes more widespread, more application scenarios involve the exchange of sensitive data, making security another keyword. When a flight encounters complex weather conditions, pilots can transmit real-time data from the aircraft to the ground via aviation internet, allowing ground support to assist and support the crew in decision-making. In this process, the security and controllability of data transmission become particularly important.
Quantum communication has become a key to unlocking security in in-flight internet. Lu Gang elaborated on the technical blueprint for quantum security in the aviation connectivity field. Inside the cabin, communication devices integrate quantum secure media to generate quantum keys for communication between the aircraft and the ground, providing the first layer of “security insurance” for the encryption process. At the ground control center, the platform integrates quantum password machine equipment for managing quantum keys and performing cryptographic operations. The system calls the password service system for data decryption, adding a “double insurance” to the entire process.
“Quantum communication has already taken shape in the ground communication field, and applying it to aviation connectivity aims to create a secure transmission chain that integrates air and ground. We want to first ensure the security of sensitive data transmission from the cockpit, such as real-time aircraft position, flight altitude, and speed data, preventing tampering or theft during transmission to the ground, before promoting it to passenger data,” Zhang Chi explained to IT Times.
Currently, the “aviation connectivity + quantum security” technical solution is still in the research and development stage. In Zhang Chi’s view, the main challenge lies in enabling mutual understanding of technologies between aviation and communication. Firstly, the mainstream solution for in-flight internet is satellite communication, which has a relatively complex communication network environment that requires constant switching between satellites. In this process, how to integrate quantum encryption technology is an innovative integration with no prior reference; secondly, the aircraft has a closed and complex main system, and all equipment installed on the aircraft must meet civil aviation airworthiness standards, which requires a complex verification process for quantum communication devices to comply with civil aviation standards.
Air-Ground Interconnection is a cross-disciplinary technology integrator between aviation and communication. It is the world’s first joint venture between airlines and operators for air-ground interconnection services, established by China Eastern Airlines Group, China Telecom Group, and Juneyao Group.
Industry-academia-research collaboration is an important way to promote innovation in domestic aviation connectivity. During the exhibition, Air-Ground Interconnection signed a cooperation agreement with China Telecom Quantum Group. Additionally, Air-Ground Interconnection also signed cooperation agreements with Civil Aviation University of China and Shanghai Jiao Tong University to jointly promote technological collaboration, talent cultivation, and scenario innovation, creating a “Chinese model” for air-ground interconnection, allowing the public to afford and effectively use Chinese internet at 10,000 meters.
Layout by Ji Jiaying
Images by Air-Ground Interconnection
Source: IT Times WeChat Official Account vittimes
E N D
What Everyone is Watching
Click the image to register and receive a free MWC Shanghai ticket
IT Times will participate as a special media partner
