Patent ID: 7146147

Claim:
A system for providing wireless communication service to a passenger compartment of an aircraft, comprising in combination: an external antenna located on an exterior portion of the aircraft, the external antenna operable to receive an incoming external signal from and transmit an outgoing external signal to a terrestrial base station; a cabin antenna located in the passenger compartment of the aircraft, wherein the cabin antenna is oriented such that a transmission pattern of the cabin antenna is substantially directed away from a cockpit area of the aircraft to minimize interference with a flight and control system of the aircraft, the flight and control system being substantially located in the cockpit area, and wherein the cabin antenna is additionally configured with a high front-to-back ratio to substantially minimize back lobe energy directed toward the cockpit area, thereby further reducing interference to the flight and control system of the aircraft; and a signal pathway linking the external antenna to the cabin antenna, wherein at least a portion of the signal pathway includes at least one low-energy transmission medium.