Hyoungsuk Jeon
You’ve probably seen an ad saying anywhere you go in the sky, you can now enjoy the internet as you do on the ground. Yes, more airlines are competitively providing in-flight internet nowadays and you can now stay connected during your flight. Despite the competition of in-flight internet services between airlines, the wireless technology supporting the in-flight internet is still in the early days. The connectivity in-flight is not stable and the internet speed is far slower compared to the broadband internet service on the ground. In the cabin, many people are used to giving up various internet services that they enjoy on the ground. Despite claims, it is often expected during the flight that you will not have internet-based entertaining services (e.g., video streaming service, online game) or a video call with your family or office. You probably put your device on airplane mode since there is nothing to do with your device with a slow internet speed.
Now, Ofinno is looking into this issue as a use case that 6G (6th generation) technology must solve. There are several use cases of in-flight wireless connection that Ofinno considers as 6G applications. The in-flight local wireless networking and the in-flight video streaming and internet gaming services are just some examples of such use cases. If these use cases are supported by 6G technology, it is expected that the cabin in the flight will not be a boring place anymore and can support various services such as entertainment, games, education, and business. For example, people can have a video call during the flight and play a game with others on the ground or in the flight. In the event of an in-flight medical emergency, a high-speed in-flight wireless connection can enable remote diagnostics by a doctor on the ground who can also instruct on the appropriate treatment.
The technology for the in-flight wireless connection is very complicated. Image that you’re moving 500-600 miles per hour at 35,000 feet above the ground, crossing multiple borders between different countries, and connecting to different service operators. Ofinno identifies several key technologies enabling the high-speed in-flight wireless connection for and within an aerial vehicle. For example, AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) native air interface, semantic/goal-oriented communication, caching, prefetching, roaming, and PLMN (public land mobile network)/service provider switching are examples as key enabling technologies for the high speed in-flight wireless connection.
Ofinno has been paving the way to create a tactical approach to develop a world-class patent portfolio in the telecommunication industry since 2011. According to the market expectation, the aviation industry is expected to be worth $130 billion by 2035. We believe that one of key drivers to lead a succuss of future aviation industry is the high quality and high-speed wireless connection that comes with better customer satisfaction and loyalty. Ofinno is now carving, as a member of Next G Alliance, cutting edge technologies supporting a seamless vertical and horizontal connection among machines and humans by looking at aerial and space communications for 2030 and beyond.
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About the Author
Hyoungsuk works primarily on 3GPP air interface and backhaul transmission and reception, focusing on message signaling down to message format design for the procedures in PHY/MAC layers such as initial access, beam management, power control. With broad experience in patent applications including the patent drafting, prosecution, and analysis stages, he is an inventor of over one hundred granted or pending patent applications. Prior to joining Ofinno, Hyoungsuk developed automation algorithms such as self-healing, load-balancing, and capacity and coverage optimization for self-organizing networks, commercially tested and deployed in live networks of major cities. His experience ranges from database design, normalizing major network vendors’ management data such as configuration management (CM), performance management (PM), key performance indicator (KPI), and call trace (CT) down to design of automation algorithms operating with the database in real time.
As a researcher in the field of wireless communications, Hyoungsuk has authored over forty journal and conference papers. Two of his journal papers were nominated in IEEE’s Best Readings in Communications and Information Systems Security. Hyoungsuk earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Dongguk University and his M.S and Ph.D in Information and Communication Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
