The present Broadband Link System supplements the existing Air-To-Ground
Radio Frequency communications link with an additional, separate high
speed Broadband Ground-To-Air Data Channel to provide additional data
communication capacity for aircraft. This Broadband Ground-To-Air Data
Channel is typically a uni-directional (Ground-To-Air) link directed via
a focused beam to selected aircraft which are operational in the coverage
area of the Broadband Ground-To-Air Data Channel. The routing of the
various data transmissions on both the Air-To-Ground Radio Frequency
communications link and the Broadband Ground-To-Air Data Channel are
managed in a unified manner to maximize the utilization of the two
transmission facilities.