Signal translating repeater for enabling a terrestrial mobile subscriber station to be operable in a non-terrestrial environment

Cellular radio communication apparatus operable to provide communication services to ground-based cellular mobile subscriber stations that are located in an aircraft, comprising:

• means for receiving frequency translated cell site cellular signals, comprising cellular radio frequency communication signals from a cell site in a mode compatible with cellular communications and at predetermined radio frequencies not used for ground-based cellular communications;
• means for receiving ground-based cellular signals comprising radio frequency communication signals from ground-based cellular mobile subscriber stations located in said aircraft and in a mode compatible with ground-based cellular communications;
• channel frequency translation means for exchanging signals from channels on said received ground-based cellular signals to channels on said frequency translated call site cellular signals and from channels on said received frequency translated cell site cellular signals to channels on ground-based cellular control channels;
• means for transmitting said received frequency translated cell site cellular signals translated to channels on ground-based cellular control channels, to said ground-based cellular mobile subscriber stations that are located in said aircraft;
• and
• moans for transmitting said received ground-based cellular signals translated to channels on said frequency translated cell site cellular signals, to said cell site.