Using 5G's Non-3GPP Inter-working Function to Support Heterogeneous Networking in Aeronautical Mobile Telemetry

Abstract

Aeronautical Mobile Telemetry (AMT) has leveraged Serial Streaming Telemetry (SST) systems for many decades to enable development of new generations of aviation technology. As the number of sensors and the demand for telemetry increase, SST may not provide the bandwidth needed to meet current development goals. Since different communication technologies have different advantages and limitations, an enhancement to AMT is to augment existing SST systems for use alongside an emerging 5G New Radio AMT solution. The 5G specification includes a capability that allows any access network to interface with a 5G network by using a standard, streamlined non-5G gateway. Instead of maintaining parallel, stove-piped systems, this paper describes a novel 5G Connector that makes use of both 5G-based AMT solutions and the non-5G gateway. Using the 5G Connector results in a unified, efficient system with integrated SST and 5G and brings multiple telemetry sources to a single logical data repository. This unified system further brings to bear valuable data collection through both unique capabilities from legacy systems and emerging 5G capabilities such as ultra-reliable low latency communication from vast commercial investments.