University: The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Name of Sponsoring Professor: Laurie Joiner
Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering

An undedicated airplane based architecture for wireless data transfers

Research Assistant: Vijay Pandiarajan

Thesis Abstract

    Wireless has been the catch phrase in the information technology industry over the past two years and it has clearly established itself as the next computing wave of the immediate future. This research took an investigative approach in researching the possibility of using a unique wireless cellular architecture, utilizing existing commercial airplanes as an aeronautical platform, to support high-speed broadband wireless access to mobiles on the ground. The study of the wireless channel is of paramount importance in determining the maximum achievable data rates and quality of information transfer of such a channel. Such a study was conducted and theoretical bound of the data rates achievable was determined. A practical model was simulated using OPNET to corroborate these theoretical bounds. The research succeeded in developing an undedicated airplane architecture to achieve high speed data access, at comparatively low costs as a manner of achieving ubiquitous wireless access.