Wideband streaming L-band (WISL) methods and systems
A network management systems (NMS) and methods for automating aircraft wideband streaming L band providing dedicated high data rate communication links from an aircraft fitted with an approved L-band terminal and antenna over a satellite communication network, such as the Inmarsat Swift Broadband network. The systems and methods allow for modifying the L-band terminal wiring to inject a dedicated single channel per carrier (SCPC) signal from an external modem to achieve return data rates in the range of several Mbps over a dedicated leased satellite bandwidth.
1. A method for managing networks for wideband streaming L-band (WISL) services on a plurality of aircraft, comprising:
connecting, for each of the aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft, an antenna and a high speed data terminal via an L-band modem;
establishing, for each of the aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft, a communication link between the antenna of the aircraft and a ground station, via a satellite, having a beam; and
for each of the aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft, managing the communication link between the L-band modem, the satellite and at least one remote location in order to keep the communication link active during a specified period of time, while each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft is in the satellite beam, such that no two aircraft of the plurality of aircraft transmit to the satellite, in the said beam, on the same frequency, at the same time.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of managing the communication link further comprises maintaining the communication link with the satellite beam until each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft leaves the satellite beam.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein managing the communication link further comprises completing the new communication link with the target satellite beam while each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft is within an overlap of the satellite beam and the target satellite beam.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the managing the communication link further comprises: querying a global resource manager for updates indicating whether each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft reaches the target satellite beam;
determining transmitting and receiving (Tx/Rx) frequencies to use based on the target satellite beam;
sending commands to a teleport modem in the ground station and the L-band modem to tune the teleport and L-band modems to communicate on the target satellite beam; and
terminating the communication link with the satellite beam when each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft leaves the satellite beam.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the managing the communication link further comprises connecting the L-band modem with a network management system through management and control (M&C) link via a swift broadband (SBB) modem on the aircraft, wherein the SBB modem assigns a static IP address to allow communication with the network management system.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the managing the communication link further comprises communicating through the M&C link in order to keep the communication link active while each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft travels between different satellite beams.
7. The method of claim 5 wherein the M&C link is used as a forward link for the communication link, wherein the forward link is provided with n×100 kHz, where n is a natural number.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the target beam is provided by a different L-band lease from the satellite beam, and the managing the communication link further comprises allowing the communication link to transit to a new L-band lease and component beams of the new L-band lease by managing frequencies of each L-band lease and dynamically updating the L-band modem aboard each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft based on a geographic location of the L-band modem.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein an L-band lease of the satellite beam allocates multiple beams from the satellite, and the managing the communication link further comprises allowing the communication link to transit between any satellite beams within the L-band lease.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the managing the communication link further comprises providing for service operations to schedule activation of a selected lease with each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft.
11. A network system for providing wideband streaming L-band (WISL) services on a plurality of aircraft, comprising:
an L-band modem on each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft connected between an antenna and a high speed data terminal; and
a ground based network management system for managing a communication link between the L-band modem, a satellite having a beam, and at least one remote location in order to keep the communication link with the satellite beam active while each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft travels between different satellite beams, wherein a new communication link with a target satellite beam is established while the communication link is allocated with the satellite beam.
12. The network system of claim 11 wherein, for each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft, the communication link with the beam is maintained until the aircraft leaves the satellite beam.
13. The network system of claim 11 wherein the new communication link with the target beam is completed while each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft is within an overlap of the satellite beam and the target satellite beam.
14. The network system of claim 11 wherein the management system performs, for each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft:
querying a global resource manager for updates indicating whether the aircraft reaches the target satellite beam;
determining transmitting and receiving (Tx/Rx) frequencies to use based on the target satellite beam;
sending commands to a teleport modem in the ground station and the L-band modem on the aircraft to tune the teleport and L-band modems to communicate on the target satellite beam;
and terminating the communication link with the beam when the aircraft leaves the satellite beam.
15. The network system of claim 11 wherein the L-band modem is connected with the network management system through management and control (M&C) link via a swift broadband (SBB) modem on each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft, wherein the SBB modem assigns a static IP address to allow communication with the network management system.
16. The network system of claim 15 wherein the M&C link is used for communications in order to keep the communication link active while each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft travels between different satellite beams.
17. The network system of claim 15 wherein the M&C link is used as a forward link for the communication link, wherein the forward link is provided with n×100 kHz, where n is a natural number.
18. The network system of claim 11 wherein the target satellite beam is provided by a different L-band lease from the satellite beam, and network management system allows the communication link to transit to a new L-band lease and component satellite beams of the new L-band lease by managing frequencies of each L-band lease and dynamically updating the L-band modem aboard each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft based on a geographic location of the L-band modem.
19. The network system of claim 11 wherein an L-band lease of the satellite beam allocates multiple satellite beams from the satellite, and the network management system allows the communication link to transit between any satellite beams within the L-band lease.
20. The network system of claim 11 wherein the network managing system provides for service operations to schedule activation of a selected lease with each aircraft comprising the plurality of aircraft.