ACP WGC6/WP13

AERONAUTICAL COMMUNICATIONS PANEL (ACP)

WORKING GROUP C

First Meeting

Toulouse France

20-24 October 2003

Agenda Item 6:Evaluation of Potential Technologies

Evolving Technology and the

Impact on Communications Infrastructure

Prepared by:

Rockwell Collins, Inc

Cedar Rapids, IA USA

  1. INTRODUCTION

1.1The industry has recognized the need for timely and consistent information exchange to ensure safe, efficient, and flexible airspace operations. The evolution to “information centric” operations has been recognized in all of the newly developed operational concepts including:

•ICAO – “ATM Concept Panel Operational Concept Document”

•EUROCONTROL – “ATM Strategy 2000+”

•IATA – “Global ATM Roadmap”

•Australia – “ATM Strategic Plan”

•US – “National Airspace System Concept of Operations and Vision for the Future of Aviation”

All of the Operational Concepts call out a closer integration of the aircraft with ground automation, a greater reliance on intelligent information processing, and shared decisions through collaborative processes. These all recognize the concept of “System Wide Information Management” as the cornerstone for future airspace operations. In order to enable the exchange of this information, we need to consider alternative communications infrastructures that can provide the necessary solution to this evolving requirement.

1.2Further we need to recognize that spectrum is a precious resource. There are many competing applications and users for the limited spectrum that is currently available. We continue to have dialog about access protocols and regional solutions that further challenge our ability to provide the information flow that is necessary to support the next generation solutions.

  1. BACKGROUND

2.1Today’s commercial subnetworks remain transparent to the user. The applications are developed to protect and provide secure exchange of information consistent with the user driven requirements. Let’s consider a simple example:

Today’s telephone system is used for voice and data communications by a variety of users. When the handset is lifted and the number is dialed, there is no knowledge of what subnetwork has been chosen to provide the connection. It could be a simple twisted-pair copper connection. It may be a microwave or fiber optic link. Further it may transit multiple service providers that are already exchanging and sharing the available bandwidth. But he key principle is that the link is transparent to the user.

If there requirement for secure voice, a terminal unit is connected to the dial-up circuit and the voice is encrypted and sent over the standard connection. In this case the application establishes the necessary level of security and protection.

Data communications is exactly the same. A modem is connected to the standard telephone lines and the computer or terminal device exchanges the necessary data to provide the service. The key however is that knowledge of the method of connection is not required.

2.2This same principle applies to the RF media. Airborne commercial services are provided using a combination of terrestrial and space-based network assets. Today’s airspace users are faced with carrying multiple systems on-board the aircraft and making sure that the various systems are reliable and do not interfere with each other. As the need for information for safety services, administrative applications, and passenger requirements develop, the volume of information will swell and it is quite likely that today’s solutions will be inadequate to meet the need.

3.TECHNOLOGY MIGRATION

3.1Appendix A – Existing Communications Technologies, is provided to illustrate the available solutions that are being used commercially. Note that terrestrial and space-based networks that have been included.

4.0SYSTEM CERTIFICATION

4.1 In the past the use of dedicated spectrum and RF resources were used to ensure connectivity on a prioritized basis. However, the total network connectivity had those RF resources connected to traditional phone lines to connection to centralized distribution systems. Aircraft were required to certify their performance using both the airborne and ground assets including those standard telephone networks. Service providers offered Quality of Service contracts to ensure that the timeliness and robustness of the system. Nevertheless, the system utilized commercial assets that were never “certified”. The terrestrial systems of AT&T, British Telecom, Sprint, MCI, etc., were all interconnected and the services provided with availability and reliability parameters established. These systems were used for safety services as well as administrative services.

4.2As an industry we have developed test protocols for certifying the elements of the subnetwork that we can control. But the future holds that the greatest affordable and available bandwidth will come from commercial sources. By developing the applications in a way to support the secure, timely information exchanges we can take advantage of the available spectrum without the burden of trying to manage technology refresh cycles of RF or terrestrial networks. The banking community has adopted this position and is realizing the benefit of using cost-effective network resources to meet their highly specialized and secure requirements. Medical networks represent another example of how hospitals and remote care facilities can utilize commercial assets to provide high quality of care to their patients.

  1. CONCLUSION

5.1The evolution of collaborative models that will require system-wide information exchanges will lead to the requirement for high bandwidth, dynamic networks. It is unlikely that aeronautical users can launch and maintain their own dedicated systems. With that as a base consideration, we are compelled to consider alternative structures that will provide the appropriate levels of service quality to support safety and non-safety services.

5.2This will also require that we reconsider how we manage the establishing of requirements for applications and how we certify those applications over commercially available networks.

  1. RECOMMENDATION

6.1The meeting is invited to:

•Note the information in this paper and to consider the impact on future technology assessments

•Note the implication on application development and the potential for changes in certification processes.

ACP WGC6/WP13

Appendix A – Existing Communications Technologies