The world-first 5G ATG demonstration based on standard 5G technology comprised a 5G base station with an Active Antenna Unit, a full 5G Core Network, a prototype of the 5G ATG terminal, and various ground systems. The entire solution operates in the 4.9 GHz frequency band, which has been assigned for 5G ATG in China and provides ample capacity for the dense air traffic in the east of our country today, and for the anticipated further growth during the coming years.

Together with our partner Airbus China, we demonstrated the 5G ATG solution at the Airbus Innovation Center in Shenzhen, only 5 months after announcing the cooperation during Connected Aircraft China Congress. Representatives of leading Chinese airlines witnessed the performance of 5G ATG through a range of use cases in the areas of passenger experience, ancillary revenue generation, and airline operational efficiency:

• Passenger engagement and rich multimedia services
• Video conferencing and enterprise cloud services
• Engine data collection for real-time monitoring and analysis on the ground
• SkyFive Service Operations Center including Network Analytics Center

The demonstrated performance was mind-boggling: with a capacity of 600 Mbps per aircraft and an end-to-end latency of 5 milliseconds, 5G ATG starkly outperforms any existing and imaginable satellite solution – all at a minimum cost per bit. The aircraft antenna is extremely small, thus does not induce any measurable drag, and fits on even small aircraft types like regional jets and turboprops (please see the picture below).

Interested to learn more? Then meet us at Connected Aircraft China Congress 2021 (link), taking place on June 3^rd and 4^th in Haikou, where we will be together with our partner Airbus.