In 2021, seamless connectivity is integral to everyday life. It informs and supports pretty much everything we do, and the COVID-19 global pandemic has made us individually and collectively more reliant on (and comfortable with) accessing everyday applications through our tablets and smartphones. 

Meanwhile, in-the-air connectivity – whether for ATC, airline operations or passenger use – is playing catch-up. Not in terms of the available technology, but more the sheer pace of its progress, combined with concerns regarding safety and security, and the complexities of globally standardised certification. 

For aviation, legacy datalinks such as VHF, HF or satellite datalinks (L-Band/KA/Ku Band) remain dominant. But they’re non-integrated, so to access the efficiencies and capabilities we enjoy on the ground, we need to adopt a more advanced approach to communications in the air… one that enables open access and uses cloud-based networks to connect aircraft with airport infrastructure, airline operations and the wider digital airspace.

For the future, then, it’s essential to develop and deploy integrated communication systems across all aircraft platforms, and ensure the operator is ‘agnostic’ to the datalink. Such systems will provide access to a data/information service that can significantly improve decision-making. And as we integrate systems, the emphasis will shift to the network solution and the security of the data rather than the datalink. This will ultimately mean seamless roaming between networks, and multi-network security.  

Taking this approach will open up the Digital Aviation environment significantly. It means being able to provide an enterprise cloud-based network that connects aircraft to ground-based infrastructure through a variety of datalinks. In turn, this will open up access to key applications that can greatly enhance operational efficiency, thereby contributing to a reduced carbon footprint and an improved passenger experience. 

We need a more advanced approach to communications in the air… one that enables open access and uses cloud-based networks to connect aircraft with airport infrastructure, airline operations and the wider digital airspace.

Julia Jiggins, Head of Strategic Marketing for Aviation and Space in the UK

Achieving this integrated connectivity vision for digital aviation demands focus on key areas, including: 

  • multi-band antenna
  • seamless switching between networks (terrestrial/satellite, LEO/MEO/GEO networks)
  • multi-network security solutions
  • size, weight and power considerations
  • economic cost

Due to its global nature, introducing new communications technology into the civil aviation market is slow, complex and expensive. So for the near future, the biggest innovation will likely be in communication solutions for UAVs, where there is an urgent need for low-cost, hybrid communication solutions (terrestrial and satellite) that can integrate with Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM). 

Any solution will have to enable seamless roaming between terrestrial and satellite networks, and have cyber protection across the whole network – and will therefore lay solid connectivity foundations for civil aviation as a whole.