Image source @ Visual China
Text | Brain polar body
I believe that trapeze artists who often travel by plane have this feeling, especially in long-distance flights, the most uncomfortable thing is not to be confined to the seat for several hours, but there is no net on the plane. Apart from sleeping in an extremely uncomfortable position and having suffocating dreams, there is no other recreational pastime.
Accustomed to the happy surfing activities on the internet on the ground, the sudden disconnection of the Internet for several hours makes many people feel uncomfortable like an Internet addiction withdrawal reaction. Disconnection is not only a lack of happy entertainment activities, but also means a loss of money for many business people who need to work online. Important meetings and emails, can not be sent and responded to in time, students engaged in financial transactions, long-distance flights for several hours, if you catch up with some big market fluctuations, can not timely trading operations, loss of money and less money will make these financial traders regret to shoot off the thigh.
Whether it is entertainment or work needs, the network service on the plane is just needed, and it is also the most eagerly awaited. But there are currently very few airlines that can provide network services, and the network speed of airlines that can provide services is also very poor.
The good news is that in order to solve the problems of slow Wi-Fi network speed, navigation safety, and smart aviation applications, the latest news released in recent days shows that the Civil Aviation Administration will work with the relevant departments of the State Council to accelerate the evolution and upgrading of network infrastructure services - combined with the new 5G infrastructure, the ATG communication system will be upgraded from 4G to 5G to improve the communication rate of relevant aircraft. This also means that the much-anticipated 5G ATG (Air To Ground) is about to "take off".
The value of 5G ATG
There are two main ways to access the Internet in the air, one is satellite communication, and the other is ATG ground-to-air broadband communication. The industry's main air network services are network services that combine the two to complement each other to form smart aviation. Judging from the choice of European and American airlines, they also use the networking strategy of ATG+ satellites. With the development of 5G technology, Europe and the United States have also begun to promote the upgrading of 5G ATG networks.
The reason why ATG has become mainstream is mainly because under the same coverage area of land routes, ATG bandwidth is larger, lower cost and better experience. For the network services provided by satellite mode, because of the high price of equipment, weak bandwidth capabilities, etc., the cost and experience are not friendly, so that it has not yet developed a successful business model.
With the upgrading of 5G technology, the attG ground-to-air broadband communication can bring higher bandwidth, more economical costs and wider coverage, and these services also bring users an upgraded experience.
In April 2021, the Civil Aviation Administration of China issued the "Roadmap for Aviation New Generation Aviation Broadband Communication Technology" proposed to vigorously promote the application of a new generation of aviation broadband communication, build a civil aviation 5G network that combines public and private, actively build a world-class modern civil aviation communication infrastructure system, and help the construction and operation of smart civil aviation transportation system. By the end of 2025, complete the demonstration of "machine-vehicle-field-facility" collaborative operation and application based on 5G AeroMACS technology in the industry, and deepen the typical application demonstration of the new generation of aviation broadband communication system in various fields of civil aviation.
(5G AeroMACS communication network concept map)
The 5G AeroMACS mentioned in the policy is a new generation of aviation broadband communication technology applied by 5G to the private network of civil aviation. The application scenarios of the new generation of aviation broadband communication technology in the field of civil aviation mainly involve the airport scene aviation private network used by aircraft and vehicles in the airport flight area, the public network used by passengers in the terminal building, the air-ground communication network used in the front cabin of the aircraft during the flight stage, and the air Internet used in the rear cabin.
Because of the low latency and large bandwidth of 5G, after the application of 5G AeroMACS, the aircraft cockpit, tower, scene vehicle, airline and airport operation control departments can accurately, timely and quickly share information through the aviation 5G private network. Such as airport high-precision digital map, runway, taxiway, bridge, parking space occupancy, real-time location of aircraft, airport ground vehicles, taxi path released by the tower, etc.
It is reported that the Civil Aviation Administration of China has approved the frequency of AeroMACS use in 110 domestic airports, and launched the construction of AeroMACS networks in 23 airports such as Beijing, Chengdu and Tianjin, and 5G AeroMACS is based on 5G technology to complete the continuous upgrading of this system, so as to build a relatively leading competitiveness on a global scale.
5G AeroMACS can share network information between air traffic control, airports and airlines involved in ground-to-air operations, not only bringing high-speed network services to users, but also providing interconnection support for multi-agent collaborative operation, and improving the operational safety and efficiency of airport scenes.
Although the value of 5G air network services is full, there will also be some controversial voices: the channels of ground-to-air 5G and the terrestrial base station services occupy each other.
Cognitive misalignment of security controversies
There may be such doubts because of some foreign airline news: large-scale cancellation of flights due to the impact of 5G networks. So, will the large-scale application and promotion of 5G, a public infrastructure, in the field of civil aviation have an impact on the safe operation of civil aviation because of channel occupation?
In fact, aviation 5G is not exactly equivalent to the 5G network used on mobile phones every day. The "aviation 5G" mentioned in security communications is completely isolated from the 5G network built and deployed by telecom operators, and there is no common relationship.
Chen Xiangyang, deputy director of the Air Traffic Control Industry Management Office of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, also explained this problem of public doubt. Chen Xiangyang said that the 5G AeroMACS technology has several important characteristics: one is based on the private network of civil aviation, the second is the use of aviation-specific frequencies, and the third is to meet the requirements of aviation safety communication level. These characteristics determine that its use needs to strictly comply with the relevant requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Specifically, it is necessary to separate the technical frequency from the frequency of other terrestrial 5G public services, and the network will also be strictly isolated from the public network, and it is relatively independent in the base station, terminal and other equipment and carrying services. Safety is the top priority for civil aviation, and the requirements for technical security are very high, so the application of 5G in civil aviation is also based on different scenarios, and the combination of security and non-security communication is adopted, which is not completely equivalent to the 5G network used on mobile phones every day.
In the recent news that the 5G signal band of some foreign airports affects the radio altimeter of aircraft, the 5G mentioned refers to the 5G public network of some specific frequency bands, and "aviation 5G" will not happen in a similar situation.
We can also see that domestic civil aviation attaches great importance to safety. Civil flights have not had any air accidents over the years, and civil aviation has always adhered to the concept that any technological innovation and application will not come at the expense of safety or weakening safety.
Of course, high-altitude 5G network services are only the tip of the iceberg, and the application of 5G in the civil aviation industry is not limited to this.
Abundant prospects and "money scenes"
5G high-speed network can bring about a comprehensive upgrade of airport scheduling. The computer can automatically process information such as radar, flight plan, meteorology, man-machine dialogue, etc., and provide timely and accurate flight information and control parameters for the apron controller, which not only greatly improves the work efficiency of personnel, but also greatly improves the control ability of the apron.
Taking the airport shuttle bus we are more familiar with as an example, we do not want to board the plane in a crowded shuttle bus at the airport, and whether we need to take a shuttle bus is closely related to the flight ranking of the airport. Under normal circumstances, airports take 4 to 5 hours to qualify flights, and it takes longer to encounter unexpected reasons such as bad weather. Nowadays, with the development of new technologies such as 5G, the traditional civil aviation scheduling method will also undergo revolutionary changes, greatly improving the efficiency of flight scheduling, and airport shuttle buses will no longer become a barrier that most air flyers must go through.
Data provided by air transport IT provider SITA shows that 4G technology can manage about 10,000 devices in a square kilometer. The 5G network is expected to eventually manage as many as 1 million units. The more device terminals you manage, the more refined services you bring to passengers.
For example, it is possible to track luggage, parcels, pallets and containers, as well as all other airport inventory, compress ineffective waiting times, and realize that inventory is continuously completed through security, ground, aircraft and return once, greatly improving the operational efficiency of the airport. Efficient safety and radiation benefit more exquisite services, these all-round upgraded experience also means a huge commercial space.
Markets and Markets, the world's second-largest market research organization, pointed out in its report that the global aviation 5G market is expected to reach $3.9 billion by 2026, compared with the estimated figure of $500 million in 2021, with a compound annual growth rate of 52.7%. Network communication operators, communication equipment manufacturers and many airlines have entered the 5G+ smart aviation industry chain with a value space of tens of billions of yuan.
China Telecom invests in telecom frequency 100MHz resources, integrates aviation mobile frequency of 10MHz, adopts hybrid networking method, and combines Tianyi cloud resources to customize 5G ATG air-ground cloud private network for Civil Aviation of China. At present, China Telecom has started the construction of 5G ATG network, and plans to complete the network construction in the third quarter of 2022 to achieve network coverage of national routes and complete the airworthiness of airborne equipment synchronously. After the network is completed, the peak bandwidth of a single aircraft can reach up to 1Gbps. In addition, Huawei, ZTE and other operators have also proposed 5G ATG air-ground interconnection solutions.
Thanks to our leading edge in 5G communication technology, 5G is forward-looking and leading in the application of 5G in the field of civil aviation, whether it is policy planning or technology application implementation. The new generation of 5G aviation broadband communication technology provided by communication equipment manufacturers and service providers will involve the whole stage and whole process of civil aviation airport, air traffic control and aircraft operation, covering all networking applications in the civil aviation industry, and promoting the high-quality and safe development of the entire civil aviation service industry.
For consumers, we can surf the Internet happily at a height of 10,000 meters, whether it is brushing dramas or playing online games, it is no longer a restriction, and business people can also connect with the ground online. Online shopping, entertainment, work, etc. in the air will no longer be a blank space, and the connected experience of flying will be reshaped and innovated. After the landing of the aircraft, the onshore 5G real-time network connection, around the operation, security, business architecture and other services of the smart airport construction, will also be gorgeous in the continuously advanced communication technology, convenient and efficient intelligent operation.