China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has approved China Mobile's trial of 5G air-to-ground (5G-ATG) technology, which will enable passengers to access the internet on airplanes. The 5G-ATG trial approval will further improve 5G network coverage, expand application scenarios for 5G, and better meet the growing needs of air passengers to access the internet, said the MIIT. 5G-ATG, based on 5G public mobile communication technology, establishes a communication link between the ground and the aircraft cabin by setting up special base stations and beam-shaped antennas along the aircraft's route in accordance with corresponding international and domestic regulations, so that passengers can access the internet through wireless LAN in the cabin. 5G-ATG is one of the technologies for high-quality internet on airplanes, and also a new business application for 5G and other new technologies in the aviation internet field, said the MIIT.
The technology was not available during the 3G and 4G era. But 5G can support data transmission at more than 500 kilometers per hour, veteran tech analyst Ma Jihua told the Global Times. The average speed of a civil airliner is about 800 to 1,000 kilometers per hour. Ma added that the current technology is said to be capable of tracking aircraft at a speed of up to 1,200 kilometers per hour. β5G-ATG directs the 5G base station signal to the sky, which means that passing aircraft can receive the signal at a height of 10,000 meters,β said Ma. Industry insiders said that there are different technical routes to in-flight internet connectivity, but 5G-ATG is clearly the easiest and lowest-cost option. It is estimated that the demand for in-flight data transmission is about 30 gigabytes per flight. If travelers want it and airlines find a profitable business model, it won't take long to make internet access available on all aircraft, said Ma, adding that Air China's Airbus 350s might already have been retrofitted to use 5G-ATG technology. Ma noted that internet access over the oceans is not yet an option, the Global Times reports.
