Joint US-European future communications operating concept

The growth in aviation traffic has resulted in enormous pressure on the ability of existing spectrum resources to satisfy expected air/ground communication requirements. To address this issue, EUROCONTROL and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) initiated a joint activity under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) known as the Future Communication Study (FCS) [1]. The associated work plan identifies three parts: developing communications operating concepts and requirements; conducting a technology assessment, and developing a transition and implementation roadmap. This paper focuses on the development of initial concepts and requirements, which is one of the first steps in the process of defining a Future Radio System (FRS), a subject which should be of interest to planners in the avionics industry.