Patent ID: 8699403
Filing Date: 2014-04-15
Classification: H04B,H04L,H04N,H04W

Abstract:
1. A communications system for an aircraft carrying at least some personnel having personal electronic devices (PEDs) for wireless data communications outside the aircraft, the communications system comprising: a ground-based communications network; a satellite-based communications network; at least one access point in the aircraft for providing a wireless local area network (WLAN) for data communications with the PEDs; an air-to-ground transceiver in the aircraft cooperating with said at least one access point for data communications with said ground-based communications network; a satellite receiver in the aircraft cooperating with said at least one access point for data communications with the satellite-based communications network to the PEDs; and at least one network selection controller for determining whether to send data communications to the PEDs through said air-to-ground transceiver or said satellite receiver based on a communications link metric.