Patent ID: 8442520

Claim:
A network base station within a network including at least one in-flight communication node, the network base station comprising: a radio configured via software defined radio to utilize beamforming to generate a plurality of steerable beams, to enable multiple reuses of a same frequency to communicate with respective different in-flight communication nodes via respective different communication links, wherein the respective different communication links are high speed data communications links that are enabled to be maintained continuous and uninterrupted in time while one of the respective different in-flight communication nodes transitions between a first steerable beam associated with a first coverage area defined by the network base station and a second steerable beam associated with a second coverage area defined by another network base station, the first and second coverage areas at least partially overlapping and wherein the network base station is a ground-based base station, and wherein at least one of the respective different communication links is a direct link between passenger equipment and the radio of the network base station without an in-flight server between the passenger equipment and the radio.