Adaptation of the E-model for satellite internet protocol radio calls in air traffic control

This paper proves that voice over Internet protocol (IP) technology can be combined with satellite transmission in air traffic control (ATC) applications provided that the systems used to implement this approach have been meticulously designed to meet the end-to-end delay requirements and to certify the quality of service they offer under strenuous conditions.We propose a modified E-model and prove it can be used as a radio network planning tool, because once the requirements that were drawn from it were fulfilled, the users of the resulting service accepted it as sufficient in terms of call quality. The approach has been applied on the SATWAYS system, cofunded by the European Space Agency, and designed and implemented to extend the coverage of radio frequencies within airspaces when the commonly used landline communication infrastructure is either too costly or impossible to install and maintain. The paper provides evidence that the way to an all-IP ATC network is wide open.