Broadband wireless networks for airport surface communications

Data transmissions that require broadband capabilities are increasing in the airport area. Wireless broadband networks could be used to address these emerging needs, by supporting high- data-rate aeronautical applications in the airport environment. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering the use of the 5091-5150 megahertz (MHz) band for the future potential implementation of such broadband networks. Wireless broadband technologies based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 family of standards are evaluated in this paper. The IEEE 802.16-2004 standard specifies the air interface for fixed broadband wireless access systems. IEEE 802.16e-2005 expands IEEE 802.16-2004 to allow for mobile subscriber stations moving at surface vehicular speeds. This paper focuses on the orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) implementation as discussed in IEEE 802.16e-2005. A wireless broadband network is assumed at a large airport. This paper studies the radio frequency (RF) performance of such a network for two different channel bandwidths. An initial traffic analysis methodology is also presented and implemented for a given set of potential future applications. Results for the traffic analysis are also discussed.