Presented herein are system and methods for implementing a flight plan initiated beam/null forming antenna. According to an aspect, a terrestrial (i.e., ground) to air communications network can include a beam/null steering antenna that can be configured to operate in conjunction with a spectrum management system to provide one or more communications links between an airborne radio and a ground-based operator. The beam/null steering antenna can also receive the flight plans of aircraft using the system from the spectrum management system. In one or more examples, the beam/null steering antenna can use the flight plan information provided the spectrum management system to determine if a signal received at the antenna is a known desired signal, a known undesired signal, or an unknown undesired signal. In one or more examples the antenna can be configured to direct a beam or null at a particular signal based on the determination.

Methods and systems to provide service levels for aircraft in-flight connectivity network systems based on service set identifiers (SSIDs) are disclosed. A disclosed method includes providing a first wireless access point having a first SSID; providing a second wireless access point having a second, different SSID; segregating users by providing instructions regarding which of the first and second SSIDs to use to access services; tagging first data received via the first SSID with a first differentiated services code point (DSCP) value; tagging second data received via the second SSID with a second, different DSCP value; and handling the first and second data with different service levels based upon the first and second DSCP values.

Apparatus, systems and methods for the provision of high data rate and high throughput communications link for drones, in a bandwidth efficient manner. One set of embodiments describe apparatus and methods to mitigate interference from other systems when using the unlicensed radio frequency bands such as the Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) bands. Apparatus and methods are also described to enable association of the drone radio sub-system with an “optimal” cell site, such as when the drone uses a directional antenna beam to maximize system throughput. Configurations of a mechanically steerable directional antenna aperture are also disclosed. Other embodiments describe systems and methods to mitigate excessive amounts of interference, and to provide a reliable communications link for signaling and other mission-critical messages.

Example embodiments may relate to web interfaces for a balloon-network. For example, a computing device may display a graphical interface that that includes one or more interface features to receive a request for use of bandwidth of a balloon network. In particular, the computing device may receive, via the graphical interface, input data corresponding to a bandwidth request for a first location, where the bandwidth request includes: (i) an indication of the first location and (ii) an indication of time. Subsequently, the computing device may receive an indication corresponding to whether or not the bandwidth request is accepted, where acceptance of the bandwidth request is based at least in part on expected movement of one or more balloons from a plurality of balloons in the balloon network. As such, the computing device may display, on the graphical interface, the indication corresponding to whether or not the bandwidth request is accepted.

A task scheduling system that can be used to improve task assignment for multiple satellites, and thereby improve resource allocation in the execution of a task. In some implementations, configuration data for one or more satellites is obtained. Multiple objectives corresponding to a task to be performed using the satellites, and resource parameters associated with executing the task to be performed using the satellites are identified. A score for each objective included in the multiple objectives is computed by the terrestrial scheduler based on the resource parameters and the configuration data for the one or more satellites. The multiple objectives are assigned to one or more of the satellites. Instructions are provided to the one or more satellites that cause the one or more satellites to execute the task according to the assignment of the objectives to the one or more satellites.

Described herein are methods and systems for dynamically optimizing a Flying Ad-Hoc Network (“FANET”). A server that manages the FANET can receive information relating to the network activity of user devices connected to the FANET. Examples of the type of information included can include the user devices' locations, network connection quality, and network traffic volume dedicated to a Unified Endpoint Management (“UEM”) system of an enterprise. The server can analyze the network activity information based on a set of rules to prioritize the user devices connected to the FANET. The server can instruct unmanned aerial vehicles (“UAVs”) in the FANET to reposition themselves to provide the best connection for higher priority user devices.

A method and wireless devices (WDs) for geo-location of wireless devices are disclosed. According to one aspect, a method in a first WD includes: transmitting a sequence of ranging signals and receiving a plurality of ranging response signals from a second WD, the ranging response signals being responsive to the ranging signals. For each of the plurality of ranging response signals, a received sequence of bits is determined. A correlation between the received sequence of bits and an expected sequence of bits is determined. The method also includes determining a subset of the plurality of received sequences of bits deemed not to arise from noise, and determining the subset being based at least in part on the correlations. The method also includes determining a distance between the first WD and the second WD based at least in part on a plurality of received sequences in the subset.

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations; and Alternate Positioning, Navigation and Timing (A-PNT) beacon transmitters positioned on the ground; and LDACS airborne stations. The LDACS airborne station may be configured to communicate with the LDACS ground stations, and determine A-PNT information based upon the plurality of A-PNT beacon transmitters.

An Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) device may include a controller and a radio frequency (RF) transmitter coupled thereto and configured to transmit flight identification data, and transmit flight position data at a coarse accuracy and a fine accuracy. The RF transmitter may be configured to operate at a frequency within the L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) frequency band. For example, the controller may be configured to encapsulate the flight identification data and flight position data within a message for an LDACS.

An enhanced L-band Digital Aeronautical Communications System (LDACS) may include LDACS ground stations, and LDACS airborne stations configured to communicate with the LDACS ground stations. The enhanced LDACS may also include a Cloud-based network controller configured to allocate LDACS resources to the LDACS ground stations and the LDACS airborne stations based upon a number of LDACS airborne stations, respective flight paths of each LDACS airborne station, a respective type of each LDACS airborne station, and historical data on communication use for each LDACS airborne station.