When people board an airplane, they bring with them the need for wireless data. This need, according to technology experts, is quite extensive: Trillions of megabytes of data annually for millions of continuous inflight calls, texts, chats, games and video conferences. Aviation communications provider SmartSky Networks LLC (SSN) is helping airlines meet this challenge through its 4G air-to-ground communications network.
Scheduled for completion later this summer, the 60-megahertz-band network is designed to provide data at more than 10 times the typical speed and capacity of current cell tower networks. Other benefits for commercial airplanes include flight path optimization, fuel savings, engine and airframe monitoring, analytics and predictive maintenance, and continuous high-definition mapping of weather patterns and turbulence.