Abstract

In our capstone design project, we present a cost-effective Air-to-Ground (A2G) system and network design that would consequently contribute into vitalizing domestic tourism in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The advancement of 5G technology has created opportunities to enhance inflight connectivity (IFC) services, enabling passengers to stay connected and engaged during their flights. However, deploying such systems can be challenging in terms of cost and infrastructure requirements. Accordingly, we propose a cost-effective A2G system and network design capable of providing 5G-grade IFC for domestic flights taking advantage of the unique landscape properties of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Our design incorporates the use of existing terrestrial base stations (TBSs) strategically deployed to cover the domestic flight corridors, ensuring seamless connectivity for passengers onboard. We also consider the optimization of network resources when utilizing 5G technology to provide high-speed and reliable inflight connectivity while striking a balance between the objective of reducing total cost of ownership (TCO) and that of delivering a 5G-grade inflight connectivity. We formulate an optimization model to address the issue of selecting a subset of the already deployed TBSs infrastructure, specifically those that overlap with the corridors of domestic flights, to be reutilized after being upgraded with up-tilted 5G-NR antennas. Using MATLAB, we conducted a grid partition analysis on the landscape of Saudi Arabia to gain a comprehensive understanding of the region allowing us to visualize their attributes across the country. Consequently, we associated each grid point with the factors influencing the TCO for the A2G network infrastructure. These factors include considerations such as geographical conditions, population density, and proximity to existing infrastructure among other relevant parameters. By incorporating these factors, we were able to assess the TCO implications at each grid point. Hence, our approach facilitates the identification of the most favourable sites for the placement of A2G TBSs and thus optimize the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of our network deployment, ensuring reliable 5G-grade IFC across Saudi Arabia. Through performance evaluations and cost analysis, we demonstrate the viability and cost-effectiveness of our proposed A2G system and network design. This research contributes to the fields of systems engineering and operations management by providing a practical and efficient solution for deploying and managing the A2G network systems, considering the capital and operational costs involved and the resource optimization required for providing seamless 5G-grade IFC in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.