Abstract: A terrestrial communications network for providing broadband internet access to aerial platforms is described. One set of embodiments describe systems and methods for assigning aerial platforms to cell sites, and imposing a network frequency reuse pattern over the assigned beams, such as to optimize a certain network performance metric. Another set of embodiments describe systems and methods to iteratively optimize the aerial platform to cell site beam assignment, and the associated network frequency reuse pattern, according to the specified network performance metric. In other embodiments, systems and methods are described for measuring exogenous interference, to be used in SINR estimation received from different cell sites at the aerial platform in order to choose the cell site from which highest data rate is received.

Abstract: A terrestrial communications network for providing broadband internet access to aerial platforms is described. In some embodiments, the cell site sector communications equipment comprises of at least two radio modules and two antenna apertures, the cell site transmits data to an aerial platform on only one antenna aperture, but receives from the aerial platform on all antenna apertures. In some embodiments, the cell site communications equipment divides each of the N data packet streams destined to N aerial platforms into multiple data packet sub-streams and sends each data packet sub-stream of an aerial platform on a different antenna aperture using a different frequency channel or antenna polarization, forming N beams from each antenna aperture, one beam toward each aerial platform.

Abstract: An air interface for a terrestrial communications network for providing broadband internet access to aerial platforms is described. In some embodiments, systems and methods are described for efficient retransmission of data packets that are not received correctly. In other embodiments, systems and methods are described for determining the modulation constellation and error correction code rate used in transmitting a data packet to maximize data rates. In another set of embodiments, the retransmission scheme and modulation constellation and error correction code rate determination are jointly optimized to maximize data rates.

Abstract: A terrestrial communications network for providing broadband internet access to aerial platforms is described. One set of embodiments describe systems and methods for assigning aerial platforms to cell sites, and imposing a network frequency reuse pattern over the assigned beams, such as to optimize a certain network performance metric. Another set of embodiments describe systems and methods to iteratively optimize the aerial platform to cell site beam assignment, and the associated network frequency reuse pattern, according to the specified network performance metric. In other embodiments, systems and methods are described for measuring exogenous interference, to be used in SINR estimation received from different cell sites at the aerial platform in order to choose the cell site from which highest data rate is received.

Abstract: A terrestrial communications network for providing broadband internet access to aerial platforms is described. One set of embodiments describe assignment of cell site beams to aerial platforms to maximize signal quality in a frequency reuse of 1 network. Another set of embodiments describe time division duplexing and beam forming schemes for minimizing co-channel interference. Systems and methods for establishing links from aerial platforms to cell sites, and mobility management of aerial platforms, to maximize signal quality are described. In another set of embodiments, systems and methods are described to mitigate fading due to ground reflection.