Aeromacs analyses and simulations for spectrum planning

Wireless broadband networks denoted as the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS) are being considered for implementation in the National Airspace System (NAS). These networks can provide high-data-rate communications in the airport environment in support of Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) operations. An Aeronautical Mobile (Route) Service (AM(R)S) frequency allocation is available to support safety and regularity of flight services for the airport surface in the 5091-5150 megahertz (MHz) band. Within the aviation community, the key stakeholders identified for AeroMACS are aviation authorities, airport authorities, and airlines. In this paper, we present and analyze potential channelization approaches for AeroMACS. These approaches have been developed to evaluate potential means of separating AeroMACS data traffic among the different types of services that could be enabled for the various stakeholders. The paper then describes new capabilities we developed for an AeroMACS discrete event simulation model. We used these capabilities for indepth characterizations of the AeroMACS link performance for data transmissions to/from potential fixed users, such as sensors, with various data rate requirements. The AeroMACS Profile document, developed by RTCA Special Committee 223, includes broadcast features that could be used in future AeroMACS networks. We incorporated an initial broadcast capability in our AeroMACS discrete event simulation model. In this paper, we present initial simulation results using these newly included broadcast features.