Communications and entertainment onboard a high-speed public transport system

This article discusses architectural design at the conceptual/functional level of communication and entertainment services onboard a high-speed public transport system, such as a high-speed train, a transoceanic cruise ship, or even a mid- to long-range airplane. Existing commercial mobile communication services, such as AMPS and GSM, are inaccessible to passengers onboard these public transport systems. A hierarchical architecture is laid out to provide passengers with communication and entertainment services. Within this framework, the transport system itself becomes an entity of a mobile network whose connection with the infrastructure networks may be interfaced through either a land terrestrial microwave or a satellite communication system. The entire architecture is further divided into the mobile subsystem, the radio transport, and the land backbone network. Potential research topics are outlined.