Wednesday, March 2, 2022

In-flight Connectivity with Radiator

For many of our customers we have been implementing WiFi roaming for different use cases: for example, carriers offloading traffic from their mobile network to WiFi hotspots or for providing VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi) calling to their customers.

One case for Radiator is to implement in-flight connectivity for airline carriers, providing authentication to onboard WiFi that is connected by other means (such as satellite connection) to the internet.

In this scenario, Radiator provides the necessary interfaces for WiFi roaming when subscribers of mobile operators are using their phones during the flight. With smooth WiFi roaming provided by Radiator AAA Server Software, end user devices can connect automatically to the in-flight WiFi network, and continue their use based on the roaming policy agreements between mobile operators and in-flight network operators.

Some of the benefits for this kind of solution are:

  • For the airline carrier: More value for service as a provider of smoothly connected onboard WiFi as a part of their in-flight services.
  • For the end user: Better user experience when connecting to onboard WiFi.
  • For the mobile operator: New product opportunities for mobile operator roaming with airline onboard WiFi.
  • For the onboard Wi-Fi technology provider: A flexible product with Radiator that provides connectivity to carrier networks via different interfaces.


At the same time, the solution with Radiator AAA server can of course be used in cruise ships and platforms where a smoothly run, commercial onboard WiFi is needed. 

How does it work?

On the technical side, Radiator AAA Server, combined with Radiator SIM Pack, is used to provide EAP-SIM, EAP-AKA and EAP-AKA’ authentication and connectivity to different HSS / HLR systems used by different roaming partner carriers and mobile operators. In these cases, the flexibility of Radiator helps to connect to various different systems needed via multiple interfaces.

With this configuration, in addition to handling the authentication traffic, Radiator AAA Server also proxies the accounting traffic to policy enforcement or traffic monitoring solutions that can then use it to provide access to end users, based on their data plan or subscriber profile. The following diagram shows Radiator as part of the architecture for in-flight connectivity.


Radiator provides EAP-SIM / EAP-AKA / EAP-AKA’ authentication and connecting to roaming partners HSS / HLR. 
 

Would you like to know more?

For commercial contact and more in-depth technical discussion, please do not hesitate to contact our sales team at sales(a)radiatorsotware.com . We are happy to discuss about your requirements, suitable license and configuration assistance needed for your service.