deploying femtocells in private aircraft and less conventional settings

Stitel Networks & Satcom Direct

Deploying Femtocells in Private Aircraft

and Less Conventional Settings (Case Study)

Smallcells Americas , Dallas, TX

December 3-4, 2012

Agenda

• Company background

• Private Aircraft Market

• Small Cells on Private Aircraft

• Implementation Challenges

• Case Study

• Q & A

Satcom Direct, Inc & Stitel Networks, LLC, Confidential

Satcom Direct is the Leading Service Provider of Secure, Reliable Global Satcom communication for

Voice, Data & Video connectivity to Private Aircrafts.


Stitel Networks is the Leading developer of Converged Communication Technologies and consultative solution provider of Voice, Data connectivity to Private Aircraft market.


Private Aircraft Market


Total Market

Size: ~ 7500



VIP’s want everything – Internet, TV and Phone connectivity all the time.

Iridium – 2.4kbps data, voice. Not an option!

Inmarsat Swift64 – 64kbps (bond 4 channels for 256kbps)

Per minute connectivity charges, $8-32/minute

Inmarsat SB200 – up to 200 kbps data and voice

$8 US/megabyte, $3-8/minute for QoS channels

Inmarsat SwiftBroadband – 32kbps to 432 kbps

$8 US/megabyte, $3-35/minute for QoS channels

ViaSat Yonder® - up to 2 Mbits G2A, 128kbps A2G Flat Rate monthly unlimited plans

QoS for SIP + SCCP VoIP only

Backhaul Options & Cost


Private Aircraft Voice Connectivity

Use of WiFi enabled phone or Smart Phone with voice apps.

AeroV®: In-Flight Softphone

WiFi Phones

Usually SIP based 802.11

handsets


AeroV® is a softphone for

Business Aviation customers

of Satcom Direct®.

Voice + Data

PRI

Voice GW

Account Mgmt. System

Ground GW

Voice and Data Service Network


Multiplex Compression

Small Cell WiFi Service in Flight

On board GW

Satcom Terminal

Equipment Certification

Satellite Network Characteristics (Backhaul)

Communication with Satellite Modems for QoS

These have all been solved.

FCC & FAA Regulations prohibit use of any kind of cell phones on the flight

Small Cell Implementation Challenges

Main challenges to implement Small Cells solution on Private Aircraft:


Propagation delay (latency) can range from 800 ms to 3000 ms

High amount of jitter (100ms+)

Sources of signal loss, including weather effects, blockage, look angles and signal interference

Bandwidth constrains due to transponder availability and the limitations of the transmission technology

Unless QoS channels are used, these are shared networks with best effort delivery.

Satellite Network Characteristics


Antenna size - higher speed means larger antennas, limiting the availability to the Big Iron aircraft

System cost - > $500k

Currently requires a ‘leaky line’ be installed in the aircraft to reduce interference

Equipment Characteristics


38” long fuselage

mount 10” Mechanically

Steered Tailmount

Satellite Network Characteristics

Use of Multiplexing and QoS helps greatly with this

QoS removes 90% of the jitter, and keeps latency at much lower rates.

Communication with Satellite Modems for QoS

For Inmarsat – need to communicate out of band with the modem to allocate QoS ‘channels’

Sounds easy, but each modem vendor has idiosyncrasies with the spec.

For other networks, need to convince them to support QoS or implement it on their networks to prioritize the backhaul traffic



End Customer charges

Due to the high backhaul costs, roaming charges are expensive ($5-10/minute). Customer education is key.

Supporting Data is pointless

Aircraft already has WiFi. Roaming over WiFi over Satellite would be more expensive than plain WiFi

Typically the owner covers WiFi data charges, or uses a Hotspot like setup to charge back WiFi usage.

E911

Impossible to support



The FCC Ruling

Since 1991, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has banned the inflight use of 800 MHz cell phones because of potential interference with ground networks. This ban requires that in addition to the testing the FAA requires to show non-interference to the airplane systems, an airline would also need to apply for an exemption to the FCC rule before it could allow cell phone use inflight. The FCC proposed modifying this ban in 2004, but subsequently withdrew the proposal based on the comments it received.[1]

Title 47 Part 22.925 (Oct 1, 2006 revision), states "Cellular telephones installed in or carried aboard airplanes, balloons or any other type of aircraft must not be operated while such aircraft are airborne (not touching the ground). When an aircraft leaves the ground, all cellular telephones on board that aircraft must be turned off.”[2]

[1] https://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=6275

[2] http://law.justia.com/cfr/title47/47-2.0.1.1.2.8.27.12.html


https://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=6275

EASA and other regulatory bodies currently permit the use of Small Cells on aircraft, provided: • Equipment is aviation certified (ie: DO-160) • Each installation is tested for interference with

avionics

Numerous European, Middle East and Asian carriers are already installing Small Cells on airliners • Systems must be switched off when entering US

airspace

Rest of the World


Options for US Deployments


• Smartphone app provides a transparent native mode connectivity experience using the Femtocell and the WiFi access (FeFi). • The user retains their own mobile phone and number and the use of address book, dialing rules. Calls to their cell number ring their phone! •Enables a native mode connection for easy and efficient communication during private aircraft flight

Smart App – Femto WiFi (FeFi)App


• Registration is a pain - provider need to maintain an IMSI to GSM # database for VLR/HLR registration •Configuration & support can be a nightmare • These customers change phones monthly!

Smartphone App Pros


Smartphone App Cons

• Selection of non G.729/G.711 codecs (iLBC, Speeks, Opus (RFC 6717)) • Use of SIP can be QoS’d on some provider networks. • Control over the full experience

Voice codec comparison

http://www.opus-codec.org/comparison/


IMS/SIP

Small Cell WiFi Service in Flight

On board GW

Multiplexing & Compression

Voice GW

Account Management

Ground GWs

PRI

T1/SS7

Voice and Data Service Network


Satcom Terminal

“Within the North America, with the current regulations of

FCC & FAA preventing the use of Small Cells onboard

aircraft, and the availability of Satellite connections, the

best way to delivering a native mode mobile phone

experience on a Private Aircraft, is to use a Smartphone

App solution with the combination of onboard

Femto/WiFi GW devices.”

Conclusions:


Questions ?


Noor Chowdhury Stitel Networks, LLC

1330 W. Auto Dr.,# 107 Tempe, AZ 85284 +1.602.410.7728

[email protected] www.stitelnetworks.com

Thank You!

Ken Bantoft Satcom Direct, Inc

1901 Hwy A1A Satellite Beach, FL 32937

+1.321.777.3000 sales@satcomdirect

www.satcomdirect.com


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.stitelnetworks.com/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.stitelnetworks.com/

deploying femtocells in private aircraft and less conventional settings

Technology

systemsatcom direct

flightsatcom direct

private aircraft marketvips

private aircrafts

data connectivity

big iron aircraft

qos channels viasat

data video connectivity