Demo Summary

Demo Report Summary

The Airborne CDMA Cellular System Demonstration Report prepared by Jeff Warner, QUALCOMM’s Business Development Manager, summarizes a very successful combined QUALCOMM, Inc. / AeroFon Corporation demonstration of airborne cellular communications between mobile ground users. The Report is of interest to all emergency first responders, including Homeland Security, military, interdiction, fire fighters, customs, border patrols, medical services, and police. This airborne communications system can provide essential interoperability between the emergency services for post-hurricane support, during power outages, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruption, forest fires, terrorist activity and other natural or man-made disasters. Dr. Douglas Pewitt, AeroFon’s CEO and CTO, confirmed that “all the demonstration expectations had been met and the results were consistent with theoretical analyses - particularly satisfying was the predicted good performance through difficult mountain and canyon terrain, previously identified by the emergency services as a major impediment to reliable communications.”

View the complete report.

	Reliability
	Reliable aircraft performance requires operation above airline traffic and weather, i.e., above 41,000 feet. To operate at the required altitude, AeroFon uses proprietary technology.

The Digital Divide

The underlying reason for this digital divide is not complex. In the countryside, "it's simply not economically feasible to put up cellular networks," said Ramon R. Isberto, public affairs director of Smart Communications, the Philippine operator. "You'd have to put up a lot of base stations for very little traffic. It's not a workable business case.

New York Times Jan 19, 2001