Airborn Internet 2014

Airborn internet 2014
ABSTRACT
The word on just about every Internet user's lips these days is "broadband." We have so much more data to send and download today, including audio files, video files and photos, that it's clogging our wimpy modems. Networ s using high!altitude aircraft will also have a cost advantage over satellites because the aircraft can be deployed easily !! they don't have to be launched into space. "owever, the airborne Internet will actually be used to compliment the satellite and ground!based net wor s, eplace them. These not rairborne networ s will overcome the last! mile barriers facing conventional Internet access options. The "last mile" refers to the fact that access to high!speed cables still depends on physical pro#imity, and that for this reason, not everyone who wants access can have it. It would ta e a lot of time to provide universal access using cable or phone lines, just because of the time it ta es to install the wires. $n airborne networ will immediately overcome the last mile as soon as the aircraft ta es off.
CONDANCE
INRODUCTION BACK GROUND HELO NETWORK HELONETWORKARCHITECTURE . HELOTM AIRCRAFT APPLICATIONS FUTURE PLANTS CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES
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INTRODUCTION TO AIRBORNE INTERNET

word on just about every Internet user's lips these days is "broadband The." We have so much more data to send and download today, including audio files, video files and photos, that it's clogging our wimpy modems. There's a new type of service being developed that will ta e broadband into the air. The communication payload of "$'( aircraft is at the ape# of a wireless super!metropolitan area networ . The lin s are wireless, broadband and line of sight. )ubscribers access service on demand and will be able to e#change video, high!resolution images, and large data files. Information addressed to non!subscribers or to recipients beyond the regions served by the "$'( networ will be routed through the dedicated "$'( *ateway connected to the public switched networ or via business premise e+uipment owned and operated by service providers connected to the public networ s .
$ngel ,hoto courtesy $ngel Technologies

This diagram shows how the "$'( Networ will enable a high!speed wireless Internet connection $t least three companies are planning to provide high!speed wireless Internet connection by placing aircraft in fi#ed patterns over hundreds of cities. $ngel Technologies is planning an airborne Internet networ , called High Altitu e L!ng O"er#ti!n ."$'(/, which would use lightweight planes to circle overhead and provide data delivery faster than a T% line for businesses. 0onsumers would get a connection comparable to 1)'. $lso, $ero2ironment has teamed up with N$)$ on a solar!powered, unmanned plane that would wor li e the "$'( networ , and ) y )tation
International is planning a similar venture using blimps instead of planes. The computer most people use comes with a standard 345 modem, which means that in an ideal situation your computer would downstream at a rate of 34 ilobits per second .5bps/. That speed is far too slow to handle the huge streaming!video and music files that more consumers are
demanding today. That's where the need for bigger bandwidth -- broadband -comes in, allowing a greater amount of data to flow to and from your computer. Land-based lines are limited physically in how much data they can deliver because of the diameter of the cable or phone line. In an airborne Internet, there is no such physical limitation, enabling a broader capacity.

)everal companies have already shown that satellite Internet access can wor . The airborne Internet will function much li e satellite!based Internet access, but without the time delay. 7andwidth of satellite and airborne Internet access are typically the same, but it will ta e less time for the airborne Internet to relay data because it is not as high up. )atellites orbit at several hundreds of miles above 8arth. The airborne!Internet aircraft will circle overhead at an altitude of 3&,999 to 4:,999 feet .%3,;6: to &%,9-% meters/. $t this altitude, the aircraft will be undisturbed by inclement weather and flying well above commercial air traffic. Networ s using high!altitude aircraft will also have a cost advantage over satellites because the aircraft can be deployed easily !! they don't have to be launched into space. "owever, the airborne Internet will actually be used to compliment the satellite and ground!based networ s, eplace them. These not rairborne networ s will overcome the last!mile barriers facing conventional Internet access options. The "last mile" refers to the fact that access to high!speed cables still depends on physical pro#imity, and that for this reason, not everyone who wants access can have it. It would ta e a lot of time to provide universal access using cable or phone lines, just because of the time it ta es to install the wires. $n airborne networ will immediately overcome the last mile as soon as the aircraft ta es off. The airborne Internet won't be completely $irele%%. There will be ground!based components to any type of airborne Internet networ . The consumers will have to install an antenna on their home or business in order to receive signals from the networ hub overhead. The networ s will also wor with established Internet )ervice ,roviders
.I),s/, who will provide their high!capacity terminals for use by the networ . These I),s have a fiber point of presence their fiber optics are already set up. What the 3

airborne Internet will do is provide an infrastructure that can reach areas that don't have broadband cables and wires.

BACKGROUND
*iven the lac of infrastructure to support the current and projected demands for broadband data communication, an intense race has begun to deploy broadband networ s. To satisfy businesses and consumers, Internet )ervice providers ."I),s"/ are the majors in delivering internet access service.
Today the access service is provided by five types of competitors< National I),s . e.g. $(', 0ompu)erve, =icrosoft Networ , 2)N'/ >egional 7ell (perating 0ompanies .">7(0s"/ Independent .'ocal/ I),s 0able (perators Wire service providers .)atellites, or terrestrial wireless via millimeter waves at the LMDS and -; *"? bands, wireless local loop at the ,0) bands, or pac et relay at ISM /
$bout @9 percent of homes occupied by customers are being served by large national I),s. The remaining -9 percent of customer's homes are being served by local I),s that range in si?e from hundreds to tens of thousands of customers. =ost consumers are utili?ing &:A;.; 5bps dial!up modems, and a small percent have already migrated to 34 5bps modems. =ost businesses are utili?ing 1)!% connections .%.366=bps/.
The L!&#l ISP

The local I),s are perhaps the most entrepreneurial and fastest growing segment of the mar et, e#panding at rates approaching @3 percent per year. In order to maintain this rapid rate of growth in the face of new competition from the >7(s and the cable companies, these local I),s are an#ious to adopt new technologies that will allow them to differentiate their services.
The local I),s thin they will be re+uired to provide megabit per second rates to homes and business in order to survive. "owever, they are precluded from using the cable infrastructure as cable companies are viable competitors to them. )imilarly, the >7(0s plan to offer high!speed Internet access through 1igital )ubscriber line ."1)'"/ services and may also compete directly with the local I),s. Whereas, the "$'( Networ will allow the I),s to offer distance!insensitive connections within the "$'( Networ service area, bypassing the 'ocal 8#change 0arriers and Interchange 0arriers, to substantially reduce their cost of service.
0able operators are facing a significant threat from direct broadcast satellite companies and wireless cable companies. With the advent of cable modems, the cable T2 companies see a new opportunity in two way data communication. $lthough this would appear to be an e#cellent diversification strategy, there are technical challenges affecting the delivery of an effective two way broadband service. ;
HALO NETWORK
O'er#ll C!n&e"t
The attributes of the "$'(B Networ are illustrated in the fig. below. =any types of subscribers will benefit from the low price of "$'(B Networ broadband services schools, families, hospitals, doctor's offices, and small to medium si?e businesses. The e+uipment will connect to e#isting networ and telecommunications e+uipment using standard broadband protocols such as $T= and )(N8T. The "$'(B *ateway provides access to the ,ublic )witched Telephone Networ .,)TN/ and to the internet bac bone for such services as the World Wide Web and electronic commerce.
Ke( Fe#ture%
The ey features the "$'(B Networ are summari?ed below
)eamless ubi+uitous multimedia services $daptation to end user environments 8nhanced user connectivity globally >apidly deployable to sites of opportunity )ecure and reliable information transactions 7andwidth on demand provides efficient use of available spectrum
Ser'i&e Attri)ute%
There are various classes of service to be provided .$ consumer service would
provide %!3 =bps communication lin s. $ business service would provides 3!%&.3 =bps lin s .)ince the lin s would be "bandwidth!on!demand," the total available spectrum would be time!shared between the various active sessions. The nominal data rates would be low while the pea rates would e#pand to a specified level. $ gateway service can be provided for "dedicated" lin s of &3!%33 =bps. 7ased on the '=1) spectrum and 3!fold reuse, the service capacity would be %9999 to @3999 simultaneously , symmetrical T% circuits .%.3 =bps/ per communication payload. The "$'( $ircraft would provide urban and rural coverage from a single platform to provide service to<
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%99!@39999 subscribers 69!49 mile diameter service area .%&39 to &;99 s+uare miles/
Net$!r* A&&e%%
2arious methods for providing access to the users on the ground are feasible. The
figure below shows one approach where each spot beam from the payload antenna serves a single "cell" on the ground in a fre+uency!division multiple# fashion with 3 to % fre+uency reuse, four for subscriber units and the fifth for gateways to the public networ and to high rate subscribers. (ther reuse factors such as @<% and :<% are
possible. 2arious networ access approaches are being e#plored.
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0ell 0overage by Cre+uency 1ivision =ultiple#ing using )pot 7eams Networ )ervices The "$'(B mode provides a multitude of connectivity options as shown below. It can be used to connect physically separated 'ocal $rea Networ s .'$Ns/ within a corporate intranet through frame relay adaptation or directly though '$N bridgers and routers. (r it can provide video conference lin s through standard I)1N or T% interface hardware. The "$'(B Networ may use standard )(N8T and $T= protocols and e+uipment to ta e advantage of the wide availability of these components.
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HALO+ NETWORK ARCHITECTURE

Net$!r* Ele,ent%
The major elements of the "$'(B Networ are shown below. The "$'(B Networ interfaces to the ,ublic )witched Telephone Networ .,)TN/ and to the
Internet bac bone through the "$'(B *ateway. (n the subscriber side, the "$'(B Networ provides connectivity to local networ provides connectivity to local networ s of various inds.
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The "$'(B Networ $rchitecture
Net$!r* Ar&hite&ture
$t the ape# of a wireless 0one of 0ommerce, the payload of the "$'(B $ircraft becomes the hub of a star topology networ for routing data pac ets between any two subscribers possessing premise e+uipment within the service coverage area. $ single hope with only two lin s is re+uired, each lin connecting the payload to the subscriber. The lin s are wireless, broadband and line of sight.
Information created outside service area is delivered to the subscriber's consumer premise e+uipment ."0,8"/ through business premise e+uipment ."7,8"/ operated by Internet )ervice ,roviders ."I),s"/ or content providers within that region, and through the "$'(B *ateway .""*"/ e+uipment directly connected to distant metropolitan areas via leased trun s. The "* is a portal serving the entire networ .
It avails system!wide access to content providers and it allows any subscriber to e#tend their communications beyond the "$'(B Networ service area by connecting them to dedicated long!distance lines such as inter! metro optical fiber.
The HALO+ Net$!r*

The 0,8, 7,8 and "* all perform the same functionsD use a high gain antenna that automatically trac s the "$'(B $ircraftD e#tract modulated signals conveyed %6

through the air by millimeter wavesD convert the e#tracted signals to digital dataD provide standards!based data communications interfaces, and route the digital data to information appliances, personal computers, and wor stations connected to the premise e+uipment. Thus, some of the technologies and components, both hardware and software, will be common to the designs of these three basic networ elements.
The 0,8, 7,8 and "* differ in si?e, comple#ity and cost, ranging from the 0,8 which is the smallest, least comple# ,lowest priced and will be e#pressively built for the mas mar etD followed by the 7,8, engineered for a medium si?e business to provide access to multiple telecommuters by e#tending the corporate data communications networ D to the "* which provides high bandwidth wireless data trun ing to Wide $rea Networ ."W$Ns"/ maintained and operated by the long distance carriers and content handlers who wish to distribute their products widely.
In other words the 0,8 is a personal gateway serving the consumer. The 7,8 is a gateway for the business re+uiring higher data rates. The "*, as a major element of the entire networ , will be engineered to serve reliably as a critical networ element. $ll of these elements are being demonstrated in related forms by terrestrial -; *"? and '=1) vendors. $ngel will solicit the participation of ey component suppliers for adapting their technologies to the "$'(B Networ . $s with all wireless millimeter wave lin s, high rainfall rates can reduce the effective data throughput of the lin subscriber. to a given
$ngel plans to ensure ma#imum data rates more than ::.@E of the time, reduced data rates above an acceptable minimum more than ::.:E of the time and to limit %3

outages to small areas .due to the interception of the signal path by very dense rain columns/ less than 9.%E of the time $ngel plans to locate the "* close to "$'( B orbit center to reduce the slant range from its high gain antenna to the aircraft and hence its signal path length through heavy rainfall.
Fiel !- .ie$
$ngel assumes the "minimum loo angle" .i.e., the elevation angle above the local hori?on to the furthest point on the orbit as seen by the antenna of the premise e+uipment/ is generally higher than &9 degrees. This value corresponds to subscribers at the perimeter of the service footprint. In contrast, cellular telephone designers assume that the line of sight from a customer to the antenna on the nearest base station is less than % degree. $ngel chose such a high loo angle to ensure that the antenna of each subscriber's premise e+uipment will very li ely have access to a solid angle swept by the circling "$'(B $ircraft free of dense objects, and to ensure high availability of the service during heavy rainfall to all subscribers.
The high loo angle also allows the sharing of this spectrum with ground!based wireless networ s since usually high!gain, narrow beams are used and the antenna beams of the "$'(B and ground!based networ s will be separated in angle far enough to ensure a high degree of signal isolation.
%4
%@
"$'(B $ircraft Cield of 2iew
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ALO+ AIRCRAFT
The "$'(B $ircraft is under development and flight testing is e#pected to occur by mid!%::;. The aircraft has been specially designed for the "$'(B Networ with the 0ommunications ,ayload ,od suspended from the underbelly of its fuselage.
"$'(B $ircraft with )uspended 0ommunications ,ayload
The "$'(B $ircraft will fly above the metropolitan center in a circular orbit of five to eight nautical miles diameter. The 0ommunications ,ayload ,od is mounted to a pylon under the fuselage. $s the aircraft varies its roll angle to fly in the circular orbit, the 0ommunications ,ayload ,od will pivot on the pylon to remain level with the ground.
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Pre,i%e E/ui",ent
$ bloc diagram describing the 0,8 .and 7,8/ is shown below. It entails three major sub!groups of hardware< The >C Fnit .>F/ which contains the ==W $ntenna and ==W TransceiverD the Networ Interface Fnit .NIF/D and the application terminals such as ,0s, telephones, video servers, video terminals, etc. The >F consists of a small dual!feed antenna and ==W transmitter and receiver which is mounted to the antenna. $n antenna trac ing unit uses a pilot tone transmitted from the 0ommunications ,ayload to point the antenna toward the airborne platform. The ==W transmitter accepts an '!band .:39 ! %:39 ="?/ IC input signal from the NIF, translates it to ==W fre+uencies, amplifies the signal using a power amplifier to a transmit power level of %99 ! 399 mW of power and feeds the antenna. The ==W receiver couples the received signal from the antenna to a 'ow Noise $mplifier .'N$/, down converts the signal to an '!band IC and provides subse+uent amplification and processing before outputting the signal to the NIF. $lthough the ==W transceiver is broadband, it typically will only process a single 69 ="? channel at any one time. The particular channel and fre+uency is determined by the NIF. The subscriber e+uipment can be readily developed by adapting from e#isting e+uipment for broadband services.
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Cunctional 7loc 1iagram of the )ubscriber 8+uipment
The NIF interfaces to the >F via a coa# pair which transmits the '!band TG and >G signals between the NIF and the >F. The NIF comprises an '!band tuner and down converter, a high!speed .up to 49 =bps/ demodulator, a high!speed modulator, multiple#ers and demultiple#ers, and data, telephony and video interface electronics. 8ach user terminal will provide access to data at rates up to 3%.;6 =bps each way. In some applications, some of this bandwidth may be used to incorporate spread spectrum coding to improve performance against interference .in this case, the user information rate would be reduced/. The NIF e+uipment can be identical to that already developed for '=1) and other broadband services. This reduces the cost of the "$'(B Networ services to the consumer since there would be minimal cost to adapt the '=1) e+uipment to this application and we could ta e advantage of the high volume e#pected in the other services. $lso, the "$'(B >F can be very close in functionality to the >F in the other &%

services .li e '=1)/ since the primary difference is the need for a trac ing function for the antenna. The electronics for the >C data signal would be identical if the same fre+uency band is utili?ed.
E#%e !- in%t#ll#ti!n
$ngel has designed the "$'( Networ and the consumer premise e+uipment .0,8/ to ensure ease of installation by the consumer. The 0,8, whether delivered or purchased through a retailer, is designed for rapid installation and ease of use. The antenna is self!pointing and is mounted on an outside area offering clear view of the "$'(B $ircraft.
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APPLICATIONS
The ultimate bac end platform for wireless, $irborne is a seamless, turn ey solution the management and distribution of content of micro!8ntertainment networ s $irborne seamlessly handles< Fser!friendly, web!based interface )upport for te#t, voice, image and multimedia files 0lient!specific content scheduling and menu generation =obile device recognition and optimi?ation =ultilingual content 8#tensive usage and analytical reporting 8ditorial tools
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FUTURE PLANS
NASA0% Su)1%"#&e Pl#n%
Not to be left out of the high!flying Internet industry, N$)$ is also playing a role in a potential airborne Internet system being developed by $ero2ironment. N$)$ and $ero2ironment are wor ing on a solar!powered, lightweight plane that could fly over a city for si# months or more, at 49,999 feet, without landing. $ero2ironment plans to use these unmanned planes as the carrier to provide broadband Internet access.
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The "elios aircraft will be e+uipped with telecommunications e+uipment and stay airborne for si# months straight.
"elios is currently in the prototype stage, and there is still a lot of testing to be done to achieve the endurance levels needed for $ero2ironment's telecommunications system. $ero2ironment plans to launch its system within three years of receiving funding for the project. When it does, a single "elios airplane flying at 49,999 feet will cover a service area appro#imately 69 miles in diameter.
Heli!% Air&r#-t Weight &3 &,96; pounds .:&: g/

Wing%"#n Length Wing Are# Pr!"ul%i!n direct!current electric motors % to - hours in prototype tests R#nge 4 months when fully operational S"ee %: to &3 mph .-9.4 to 69.& ph/ &6@ ft .@3.- m/ %& ft .-.@ m/ %,:@4 s+uare ft .%;-.4 m&/ %6 brushless, &!horsepower,
The "elios prototype is constructed out of materials such as carbon fiber, graphite epo#y, 5evlar and )tyrofoam, covered with a thin, transparent s in. The main pole supporting the wing is made out of carbon fiber, and is thic er on the top than on the bottom in order to absorb the constant bending during flight. The wing's ribs are made of epo#y and carbon fiber. )tyrofoam comprises the wing's front edge, and a clear, plastic film is wrapped around the entire wing body. The all!wing plane is divided into si# sections, each 6% ft .%&.3 m/ long. $ pod carrying the landing gear is attached under the wing portion of each section. These pods also house the batteries, flight!control computers and data instrumentation. Networ hubs for $ero2ironment's telecommunications system would li ely be placed here as well. It seems that airborne Internet could ta e off in the very near future. If and when those planes and blimps start circling to supplement our current modes of connection, downloading the massive files we've come to crave for entertainment or depend on for business purposes will be a snap !! even if we live somewhere in that "last mile." &4

AD.ANTAGES
Fni+ue feature of these solar!electric air!craft that ma e then appealing platforms for telecommunications applications include< 'ong flight durations up to 4 months or more. =inimal maintenance cost due to few moving parts. "igh levels of redundancy .e. g. aircraft could lose multiple motors and still maintain station and land safely ! most failure modes do not re+uire immediate response by ground operator/ "ighly autonomous controls which enable one ground operator to control multiple aircraft. Fse of solar energy to minimi?e fuel costs. Tight turn radius which ma es platform appear geostationary from ground e+uipment perspective .i. e. enables use of stationary antennas/ and enables multiple aircraft to serve same area using same fre+uency spectrum.
CONCLUSION
Cinally I conclude that the "$'( aircraft can be thought of as a very tall tower or very low altitude satellite. 0ontracted to terrestrial broadband networ s, the "$'( Networ offers ubi+uitous, anyone!to!anyone broadband lin ages throughout &@

the footprint. "$'( networ s can be introduced to highly promising mar ets around the world on a selective basis. "0ontinuous improvement" is a significant attribute of the "$'( networ . It enables $ngel to meet the increasing e#pectations of present customers, and to open new mar ets re+uiring lesser capability by re! assigning earlier!generation hubs.
REFERENCES
%. $I>7(>N8 INT8>N8T .Techpapers from $N*8' Technologies 'td./ &. www.angelhalo.com -. www.airborne.com &;

6. www.nasa.gov 3. www.aerovironment.com
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Airborn Internet 2014

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