In-Flight Connectivity Performance it’s all about capacity

By XXX, Position, Viasat

Today’s business jet is considered an office in the sky. Whether the business jet traveler is flying to a neighboring state, or another continent, he or she wants the flight time to be productive, making an internet connection essential. At the same time, many travelers want the same streaming video entertainment they enjoy at home, especially on long trips. Both work and entertainment applications require capacity. While many operators ask us about speed and latency, capacity is what ultimately enables high speeds, limits congestion (which is the key cause of latency), and is responsible for delivering consistent, high quality Wi-Fi performance from gate to gate. In-flight connectivity is a lot to take in, we know. But don’t worry, we’ll explain!

Capacity defined

In-flight connectivity to the internet relies on satellites through which packets of data, or data bits, are transmitted. Everything done online, from email to video conferences to streaming video, is in the form of data bits. Capacity is the maximum number of data bits which the satellite network is able to accommodate and send to all users of the service over a given period of time. A standard figure of merit for this is throughput measured in bits per second. This quantity can be measured as peak instantaneous throughput, as well as average throughput for typical usage of the service. While peak numbers can grab attention, the average typical throughput is what you should keep a close eye on since that more accurately determines the quality of your Wi-Fi experience onboard. The two most important factors in satellite capacity are the available power of the satellites, and the amount of spectrum that is allocated to the satellite network. As described, capacity is the engine behind high-speed internet, and ultimately the measure of the Wi-Fi experience for the passengers aboard the aircraft. Speed is the velocity at which data can be pushed through the network at any given time and represents the quantity of data bits the bandwidth can accommodate.

One could think of capacity as analogous to the number of lanes on an urban highway or interstate autobahn. The more lanes, the more vehicles can be accommodated. The number of lanes may be adequate to allow smooth traffic flow—at least at times of the day when it is relatively light. But during heavy traffic periods, such as the morning or evening commute hours, the volume of cars coming onto the road constrains total lane capacity, cutting vehicular speed to a crawl or standstill.

Capacity density

Capacity density measures and differentiates not only speed to a single user, but how many users in a geographic area receive a consistent, high-speed, in-flight connectivity experience.

Bandwidth is a major factor in determining capacity. As with a build-up of motor vehicles taxing the capacity of highway lanes, heavy usage can also impact internet speed, significantly slowing the transmission of data bits. The more users on a network without sufficient capacity, the more the service degrades, which is why capacity is so important. If the capacity is substantially large, more data bits can flow through the satellite network, even during high internet traffic periods, resulting in a faster, higher quality connectivity experience per individual user.

So, when multiple users are involved, a critical point with capacity is how much data it can hold and the maximum speed at which that data can be exchanged. The challenge, then, is providing greater capacity, and at the same time, more speed when and where the need demands it.

Over the past few years, this has become a critical issue for the corporate and private aviation community, especially for internationally traveling passengers who heavily rely on data-intensive applications such as streaming video and teleconferencing, or wanting to enjoy live coverage of major sporting events. Yet surprisingly, many Wi-Fi equipped business and private aircraft today have only the most basic connectivity and are not linked to a broadband or high-capacity transmission service. This is a key differentiator for Viasat – we have invested heavily in high-capacity satellites that are in service now with much more on the way.

Consequently, many business aircraft lack the capability to handle the data-intensive, high speed internet connectivity requirements of multiple passengers all of whom may be simultaneously trying to browse the web, engage in video conferencing, or simply to text and email. For a busy executive on a long flight, that could prove to be costly in terms of lost work time.

Adding to the need for broadband in-flight connectivity is the fact that hundreds or more aircraft are in the air or on the ground at or away from base on a 24 hour, seven day per week basis. These aircraft can be distributed over many geographical regions around the world. This means that, along with increasing capacity and speed of data exchange, an effective satellite network needs to incorporate the flexibility to focus the capacity where and when it is needed, regardless of the number of users, or daily fluctuations in the number of aircraft in flight. Older satellites are static and have limited capability to put capacity where it is needed. However, newer satellites, and especially Viasat’s next-generation ViaSat-3 constellation, are designed with the flexibility to meet increased demand when and where it happens, such as a major sporting event, or an airport hub with heavy air traffic.

To illustrate, if multiple business jets were to take off from London-Luton Airport, the signal of the satellite providing a high-capacity Wi-Fi service would be focused there. Then, as the airplanes move westward across the Atlantic, and finally, to their destination at Teterboro, New Jersey or White Plains, New York, as examples, the satellite’s signal would not only continue to reach each aircraft, but would afford the same power and capacity as it did at the time the aircraft left the ground. A highcapacity satellite system, in other words, would deliver the same quality internet experience to each passenger, on all of the aircraft, whatever the origin, destination, and the number of passengers using the system for multiple purposes at any time throughout the flight.

When there are multiple users of an in-flight connectivity service provided to aircraft operators, it is also essential to take into account the variability of aircraft operations, which simply means that at certain times of the day, there will be numerous aircraft in flight, while at other hours, few will be flying Because there is not even distribution of users throughout the day, enough capacity must be delivered to cover all the fluctuations of private air traffic Unlike many other providers, Viasat has more than a decade of experience optimizing its network to support in-flight customers so that capacity can be directed where it is most needed geographically and during times of peak demand

Capacity that can meet tomorrow’s demand

While owners of private jets justifiably have many questions regarding the cost of connectivity systems and downtime of the aircraft for installation, capacity, flexibility and consistency are the most important aspects of a high-quality internet experience in flight. Latency remains a hot topic. We’ll reiterate that capacity is what ultimately enables high speeds, limits congestion (which is the primary cause of latency), and is responsible for delivering consistent, high quality Wi-Fi performance.

Just as important is that the network should be designed to accommodate projected future customer requirements, and exponential growth in data usage demand. What will remain a given with inflight connectivity is one basic premise: the more capacity in the network, the more bandwidth for each user, and the better and faster the internet experience will be. The technology of tomorrow will need to support the growing demand for connectivity.

To address expanding requirements for ever wider capacity, Viasat is readying to launch the first of a trio of satellites that make up next generation Ka-band satellite constellation, ViaSat-3. The ViaSat-3 constellation is expected to boost Viasat’s total capacity by approximately 600%. In fact, each satellite is anticipated to deliver at least 1 Terabit of data per second (1Tbps) equal to 1,000 Gigabits per second making them the highestcapacity broadband satellites ever launched.

Each site has up to 12 sectors and each sector includes multiple beams extending more than 180 miles for dense, overlapping coverage. SmartSky's patented beamforming technology assigns each aircraft a separate network connection and the system offers nearly 30,000 beams nationwide.

Last year, SmartSky Networks (SSN) announced the achievement of nationwide coverage of its nextgeneration ATG network, how is this new ATG offering differs from what thousands of US-based aircraft are using today?

The SmartSky difference is night and day. It is similar to the stark contrast between an old Blackberry device and a far more powerful Smartphone.

The legacy ATG offering most aircraft are still using is built on 3G technologies nearly two decades old. This means that the connection is very slow, uses components banned by the US government due to cybersecurity risks, and doesn’t enable people to easily use the same applications they rely upon while on the ground.

The level of internet service available inflight has been miserable for decades. It is barely tolerable for even 1 or 2 users at a time, but only so long as those two people have very light data needs. Many times streaming is difficult or not even allowed. It is only slightly better than not having any service at all.

By comparison, SmartSky’s patented ATG network uses a combination of advanced LTE and 5G technologies to deliver a connection that is fast, reliable, and secure. Multiple passengers can simultaneously use the same applications they do on the ground on multiple devices at once. This includes data-intensive video conferencing, social media applications, VPN connections, cloud applications, e-mails with large attachments, and more.

The SmartSky network is designed around the concept of symmetrical bandwidth for both sending and receiving data, and low latency, so that you can have fast downloads and uploads in real-time. Being able to send data to and from the aircraft at the same rate is key to the functionality of today’s applications that require two-way data flow to function properly.

Importantly, SmartSky’s new technologies also give customers significant advantages over legacy equipment, beyond just the connectivity experience in the air today. SmartSky’s patented “beamforming” technology does not require sharing of bandwidth as legacy systems do. When more users access the network at the same time, the performance other users across the network experience is maintained. That’s not true with other networks.

Further, the use of software defined networks and software defined radios, allows the systems to be remotely upgraded, rather than requiring expensive and time consuming hardware changes. This enables customers to continually benefit from technology advancements and dramatically extends the longevity of an investment.

Ultimately, the best things about SmartSky’s new network is that it is available now and it doesn’t have to break the bank and customers are raving about its performance.The hardware installation is more cost effective than a legacy install while available service plans offer many multiples of the data for comparable prices, including an unlimited plan.

Since NBAA-BACE 2022, SSN has been very busy demonstrating its new network capabilities to prospective customers and MRO centers all over the US. What are the most noticeable feedbacks received during these flights?

Internet connectivity is the number one upgrade that customers are asking for. So, there is enormous demand for a system that actually works.

In business aviation the issue of uninterrupted productivity is particularly important. Most passengers on a business jet expect the best of all things. Inflight connectivity is no exception. Yet, a high-quality, premium inflight experience has been frustratingly elusive. Frankly, inflight WiFi has been stuck in the past of the internet for decades.

Passengers are so accustomed to lowering their expectations when the aircraft takes off, it’s no surprise that when we take customers on demo flights and they see for themselves that everyone on the plane can be doing all of the same things they do on the ground with no hassles, the response is remarkable. They wonder why has it taken this long for it to happen.

For instance, we recently took a customer on a flight through the New York metropolitan area, which is the busiest and noisiest area of the country in terms of radio signals. And, we put the system to the test, using multiple devices per person simultaneously, and intentionally working with applications that require high bandwidth. Still, on that flight our customers experienced a stable, uninterrupted internet connection the entire time. The big smiles we saw really told the story.

From a more objective standpoint, instead of measuring performance in Megabytes per hour, with SmartSky they could easily use Gigabytes per hour of data if needed.

Now, when those customers look to provision an aircraft SmartSky is an obvious choice.

ATG network-based connectivity appeals to a large number of business aircraft models, how are you ramping up installation STCs and MRO slots to address the large aircraft diversity in this market?

We are working with our existing dealers and adding new ones to handle the demand. This includes the initial STCs we already have for models covering over 5,500 tails today, and the projects in the works or starting soon are significant, including a commitment from Textron Aviation for STCs on more than a dozen of their aircraft models. We expect to have over ten thousand more tails addressed by an STC in the coming few quarters, meaning that whatever model of business aircraft a customer flies, it’s likely we either already have them handled or will very soon. And we welcome interested operators wanting to provide a first article aircraft to inquire to see if we have an STC opportunity available for them.

Since its launch, SSN has had a vision of not only bringing an innovative ATG network but also how this network can enable a new wave of aviation digital transformation. Can you walk us through this vision and how it will enable operators to transform their aviation business and customer experience?

With great connectivity comes the ability to truly change the aviation experience, no differently than it transformed the way we use the internet on the ground. But, while most of the attention in aviation is focused on what happens in the cabin, what is also really exciting is how a true broadband capability can change the experience in the cockpit as well as the effect it can have for flight operations overall. Better connectivity can improve safety, efficiency, and reduce cost, all while enabling new applications yet to be conceived. Our philosophy has been to not only provide connectivity between the aircraft and the ground, but to create a platform that makes it possible to connect various data sources in one ecosystem. SmartSky’s “Skytelligence” solution is designed to catalyze the development and distribution of new aviation-related applications and services, regardless of which communications network is used. Skytelligence lowers the cost for app developers to access common aviation data feeds and it allows them to use Application Programming Interface (API) calls, just like they do on the ground. The harnessing of this Big Data from various aviation sources has resulted in a new market category known as Aviation Data as a Service, or ADaaS.

As more aircraft are equipped with faster connections like SmartSky, or some of the new satellite solutions, the possibilities expand even further. SmartSky users reap increasing benefits as they access more sophisticated aviation-related digital tools and services and we can anticipate that new ones will be added all the time, representing more growth in ADaaS

As an example, we’ve worked with the International Air Transport Association to bring crowd-sourced turbulence data to business aviation in an application called SmoothSky. So, hopefully, the days of reading about turbulence-related injuries or the tragic death that happened recently can be over. With the right tools operators can avoid turbulence in ways similar to how we avoid traffic on the ground today, just by looking at a live map and seeing ‘red’ where we shouldn’t go, along with suggestions for where we can proceed safely. But that’s just today. We’re also working on a NASA project with GE Aviation and Mosaic ATM to enable a cloud-based Flight Management System of the future. This system will make airspace management far more robust, especially when coupled with advancements like 5-dimensional Trajectory Based Operations that the SmartSky system supports. In the coming era of Advanced Air Mobility and new drone technology, we need to rethink how we operate aircraft, crewed or not. The benefits of a reliable, secure broadband network extend beyond safety to sustainability as well. By using real-time data and flight information, operators can design optimal flight paths. This not only saves fuel, it also reduces aviation’s carbon footprint. All of this takes digital horsepower, the kind that SmartSky is bringing to the table with both our ATG network and Skytelligence.