System for integrating an airborne wireless cellular network with terrestrial wireless cellular networks and the public switched telephone network

A method for providing wireless communication services to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in an aircraft, comprising;

• generating, in an aircraft network located in said aircraft, radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in said aircraft, comprising:
• establishing at least one cell site to communicate via communications with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices,
• operating a plurality of base stations to communicate via communications with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, each at least one of said plurality of base stations operating in a cellular technology that differs from those of the remaining ones of said plurality of base stations;
• generating, man air-to-ground network, radio frequency communications between said aircraft and a ground-based communications network system having at least one transceiver located on the ground;
• and
• interconnecting said aircraft network and said air-to-ground network to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said ground-based communications network by exchanging both subscriber traffic and at least one of network signaling and administrative data on separate currently available logical channels between said aircraft network means and said ground-based communications network, comprising:
• converting the individual traffic and signaling channels received from said plurality of wireless base station to an aggregate data stream,
• communicating via a plurality of ground-based base stations for communicating with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices,
• disaggregating said aggregate data stream by technology into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a corresponding one of said plurality of ground-based base stations.

A system for providing wireless communication services to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in an aircraft, comprising:

• aircraft-based network means located in said aircraft for generating radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in said aircraft, comprising:
• aircraft cellular communication means for establishing at least one cell site to communicate via communications with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices,
• a plurality of base station means to communicate via communications with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, each as least one of said plurally of base station means operating in a cellular technology that differs from those of the remaining ones of said plurality of base station means,
• data concentrator means for converting the individual traffic and signaling channels received from said plurality of base station means to an aggregate data stream;
• ground-based network means for interconnecting said communications from at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices with conventional Voice and Data switching systems, comprising;
• a plurality of ground-based base station means for communicating with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices,
• data disaggregator means for disaggregating said aggregate data stream by technology into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a corresponding one of said plurality of ground-based base station means;
• and
• inner network means for interconnecting said aircraft-based network means and said ground-based network means to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said conventional Voice and Data switching systems by exchanging both subscriber traffic and at least one of network signaling and administrative data on separate concurrently available logical channels between said aircraft network means and said ground-based communications network.

A system for providing wireless communication services to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in an aircraft, comprising:

• aircraft network means located in said aircraft for generating radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in said aircraft, comprising;
• aircraft cellular communication means for establishing at lease one cell site to communicate via communications with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, comprising a plurality of base station means to communicate via communications with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, said plurality of base station means operating in at least two different cellular technologies;
• air-to-ground network means for radio frequency communications between said aircraft and a plurality of ground-based communications networks having at least one transceiver located on the ground;
• aircraft interface means for interconnecting said aircraft network means and said air-to-ground network means to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said plurality of ground-based communications networks, comprising:
• data concentrator means for converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said plurality of base station means to an aggregate data stream;
• wherein said air-to ground network means comprises:
• data disaggregator means for disaggregating said aggregate data stream by technology into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a corresponding one of said plurality of ground-based communications networks.

A method for providing wireless communication services to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in an aircraft, comprising:

• generating, in an aircraft network located in said aircraft, radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in said aircraft, comprising:
• establishing at least one cell site to communicate via communications with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices comprising operating a plurality of base stations to communicate via communications with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, said plurality of base stations operating in at least two different cellular technologies;
• generating, in an air-to-ground network, radio frequency communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and a plurality of ground-based communications networks having at least one transceiver located on the ground;
• interconnecting said aircraft network and said air-to-ground network to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said plurality of ground-based communications networks, comprising:
• converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said plurality of base stations to an aggregate data stream;
• wherein said step of generating radio frequency communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and a plurality of ground-based communications networks further comprises:
• disaggregating said aggregate data stream by technology into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a corresponding one of said plurality of ground-based communications networks.

A system for providing wireless communication services to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in an aircraft, comprising:

• aircraft-based network means located in said aircraft for generating radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in said aircraft, comprising:
• data concentrator means for converting the individual traffic and signaling channels received from said plurality of base station means to an aggregate data stream comprising a plurality of base station means to communicate via communications with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices, said plurality of base station means operating in at least two different cellular technologies;
• ground-based network means for interconnecting said communications from at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices with conventional Voice and Data switching systems;
• inner network means for interconnecting said aircraft-based network means and said ground-based network means to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said conventional Voice and Data switching systems, comprising:
• data disaggregator means for disaggregating said aggregate data stream by technology into a plurality of data streams and delivering each of said plurality of data streams to a corresponding one of said plurality of conventional Voice and Data switching systems.

A system for providing wireless communication services to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in an aircraft;

• comprising:
• aircraft network means located in said aircraft for generating radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in said aircraft;
• air-to-ground network means for radio frequency communications between said aircraft and a ground-based communications network system having at least one transceiver located on the ground;
• and
• aircraft interface means for interconnecting said aircraft network means and said air-to-ground network means to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said ground-based communications network by exchanging both subscriber traffic and at least one of network signaling and administrative data on separate concurrently available logical channels between said aircraft network means and said ground-based communications network, comprising:
• in-cabin call termination means for providing a signaling termination for each call from a one of said wireless subscriber devices that are located in the aircraft to provide protocol management of signaling to both said ground-based communications network and said wireless subscriber devices, comprising:
• first aircraft interface channel means for providing a radio frequency interface to the wireless subscriber devices to provide a pseudo base station with transparent handset signaling, to mimic the operation of the ground-based base station means to the wireless subscriber devices;
• and
• second aircraft interface channel means for providing a radio frequency interface to the ground-based base station means to provide mirrored handset signaling to mimic the operation of the wireless subscriber devices to the ground-based base station means.

A system for providing wireless communication services to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in an aircraft, comprising;

• aircraft network means located in said aircraft for generating radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in said aircraft;
• air-to-ground network means for radio frequency communications between said aircraft and a ground-based communications network system having at least one transceiver located on the ground, comprising;
• data concentrator means for converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said ground-based communications network to an aggregate data stream;
• and
• aircraft interface means for interconnecting said aircraft network means and said air-to-ground network means to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said ground-based communications network by exchanging both subscriber traffic and at least one of network signaling and administrative data on separate concurrently available logical channels between said aircraft network means and said ground-based communications network, comprising:
• data disaggregator means for converting the aggregate data stream received from said air-to-ground network means into subscriber traffic and signaling channels for said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.

A method for providing wireless communication services to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in an aircraft, comprising:

• generating, in an aircraft network located in said aircraft, radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in said aircraft;
• generating, in an air-to-ground network, radio frequency communications between said aircraft and a ground-based communications network system having at least one transceiver located on the ground;
• and
• interconnecting said aircraft network and said air-to-ground network to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said ground-based communications network by exchanging both subscriber traffic and at least one of network signaling and administrative data on separate concurrently available logical channels between said aircraft network means and said ground-based communications network, comprising:
• providing a signaling termination for each call from a one of said wireless subscriber devices that am located in the aircraft to provide protocol management of signaling to both said ground-based communications network and said wireless subscriber devices, comprising:
• providing a first radio frequency interface to the wireless subscriber devices to provide a pseudo base station with transparent handset signaling, to mimic the operation of the ground-based communications network to the wireless subscriber devices;
• and
• providing a second radio frequency interface to the ground-based communications network to provide mirrored handset signaling to mimic the operation of the wireless subscriber devices to the ground-based communications network.

A method for providing wireless communication services to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in an aircraft, comprising:

• generating, in an aircraft network located in said aircraft, radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in said aircraft;
• generating, in an air-to-ground network, radio frequency communications between said aircraft and a ground-based communications network system having at least one transceiver located on the ground, comprising:
• convening the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said ground-based communications network to an aggregate data stream;
• and
• interconnecting said aircraft network and said air-to-ground network to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said ground-based communications network by exchanging both subscriber traffic and at least one of network signaling and administrative data on separate concurrently available logical channels between said aircraft network means and said ground-based communications network comprising:
• convening the aggregate data stream received from said air-to-ground network means into subscriber traffic and signaling channels for said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.

A system for providing wireless communication services to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in an aircraft, comprising:

• aircraft-based network means located in said aircraft for generating radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in said aircraft;
• ground-based network means for interconnecting said communications from at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices with conventional Voice and Data switching systems;
• and
• inner network means for interconnecting said aircraft-based network means and said ground-based network means to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said conventional Voice and Data switching systems by exchanging both subscriber traffic and at least one of network signaling and administrative data on separate concurrently available logical channels between said aircraft network means and said ground-based communications network, comprising:
• in-cabin call termination means for providing a signaling termination for each call from a one of said wireless subscriber devices that are located in the aircraft to provide protocol management of signaling to both said ground-based communications network and said wireless subscriber devices, comprising:
• first aircraft interface channel means for providing a radio frequency interface to the wireless subscriber devices to provide a pseudo base station with transparent handset signaling, to mimic the operation of the ground-based communications network to the wireless subscriber devices;
• and
• second aircraft interface channel means for providing a radio frequency interface to the ground-based base station means to provide mirrored handset signaling to mimic the operation of the wireless subscriber devices to the ground-based communications network.

A system for providing wireless communication services to a plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in an aircraft, comprising:

• aircraft-based network means located in said aircraft for generating radio frequency communication signals to communicate with at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices that are located in said aircraft;
• ground-based network means for interconnecting said communications from at least one of said plurality of wireless subscriber devices with conventional Voice and Data switching systems;
• and
• inner network means for interconnecting said aircraft-based network means and said ground-based network means to establish communications between said plurality of wireless subscriber devices and said conventional Voice and Data switching systems by exchanging both subscriber traffic and at least one of network signaling and administrative data on separate concurrently available logical channels between said aircraft network means and said ground-based communications network, comprising;
• data concentrator means for converting the subscriber traffic and signaling channels received from said ground-based communications network to an aggregate data stream,
• data disaggregator means for converting the aggregate data stream received from said air-to-ground network means into subscriber traffic and signaling channels for said plurality of wireless subscriber devices.