System for managing mobile internet protocol addresses in an airborne wireless cellular network

A method for routing data to a passenger wireless device located onboard an aircraft in-flight, comprising:

• hosting, at one or more computing devices that are onboard the aircraft in-flight, a Home Address used to transparently transmit data packets between an aircraft network onboard the aircraft in-flight and a ground-based Access Network;
• stripping off, by the one or more computing devices, a first Care-of IP (Internet Protocol) Address from a first portion of a data stream received onto the aircraft in-flight from the ground-based Access Network via a first Air-To-Ground Modem, the data stream including data packets having content that is to be delivered to a particular passenger wireless device communicatively connected to the aircraft network, and the first Care-of IP Address assigned to the first Air-To-Ground Modem;
• routing, by the one or more computing devices, the stripped-off first portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless device based on a Destination IP Address remaining in the stripped-off first portion of the data stream, the Destination IP Address uniquely identifying the particular passenger wireless device within the aircraft network and including the Home Address;
• and
• subsequent to stripping off the first Care-of IP Address from the first portion of the data stream:
• stripping off, by the one or more computing devices, a second Care-of IP Address from a second portion of the data stream in lieu of stripping off the first Care-of IP Address, the second Care-of IP Address assigned to a second Air-To-Ground Modem via which the second portion of the data stream is received from the ground-based Access Network onto the aircraft in-flight;
• and
• routing the stripped-off second portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless device based on the Destination IP Address remaining in the stripped-off second portion of the data stream.

A system for routing data to a plurality of passenger wireless devices located onboard an aircraft in-flight, the system comprising:

• a plurality of Air-To-Ground Modems, each of which is assigned a respective Care-of IP (Internet Protocol) Address and is disposed onboard the aircraft in-flight;
• and
• an Air-To-Ground Processor Unit fixedly disposed onboard the aircraft in-flight and communicatively connected to an onboard aircraft network to which the plurality of passenger wireless devices are communicatively connected, the Air-To-Ground Processor Unit configured to:
• strip off a first Care-of IP Address from a first portion of a data stream received onto the aircraft in-flight via a first Air-To-Ground Modem included in the plurality of Air-To-Ground Modems, the data stream including data packets having content that is to be delivered to a particular passenger wireless device communicatively connected to the onboard aircraft network, and the first Care-of IP Address assigned to the first Air-To-Ground Modem;
• route the stripped-off first portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless device based on a Destination IP Address remaining in the stripped-off first portion of the data stream, the Destination IP Address uniquely indicating the particular passenger wireless device within the onboard aircraft network;
• and
• subsequent to stripping off the first Care-of IP Address from the first portion of the data stream:
• strip off a second Care-of IP Address from a second portion of the data stream in lieu of stripping off the first Care-of IP Address, the second Care-of IP Address assigned to a second Air-To-Ground Modem included in the plurality of Air-To-Ground Modems and via which the second portion of the data stream is received onto the aircraft in-flight;
• and
• route the stripped-off second portion of the data stream to the particular passenger wireless based on the Destination IP Address remaining in the stripped-off second portion of the data stream.