Its ALL About Staying In Touch To Stay Competitive

Despite what our elected leaders are trying to shovel our way these days, airplanes are amazing and undeniable tools of commerce... actually, vital tools, according to our direct experience as business aircraft operators.

The modern biz-plane gets us to where we need to be to be able to business on our or our customers' terms. But even enroute, there is a need to stay in touch... and the very mobile aircraft equipped with an 'office in the sky' is turning out to be the kind of tool that tips the balance in favor of a competitive operation. So... the tools we use to make our very valuable aircraft EVEN MORE valuable have become critical elements in any business strategy.

When it comes to such tools, companies like International Communications Group, Inc. (ICG) of Newport News, Virginia, have become indispensable in pioneering ways to stay in touch with business as it happens. Since 1994, ICG has built a very successful business by providing corporations, governments and individuals with an array of efficient and cost-effective solutions to meet their growing airborne global communications needs.

One particularly amazing tool is the ICG NxtMail Server. It provides a local Wireless Access Point (WAP) in the aircraft cabin permitting WiFi capable personal devices to access conventional Internet Protocol (IP) based terrestrial services for the purpose of sending and receiving E-Mails and mobile web browsing. The NxtMail Server provides global connections via a single inexpensive Iridium channel. Besides acting as a WAP and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Server, the NxtMail Server efficiently and automatically manages link access to optimize “on-air” time and associated costs. The Server has various interfaces that include: multiple serial ports, fax dialup data interface, Ethernet, and USB.

The NxtMail Server provides internal router functions and a HTTP server to permit access of up to 10 user devices, offering a truly wireless system for the aircraft cabin. Multiple serial interfaces with port management, permit connections of several RS-232 devices without the risk of port contention, collisions or data corruption.  WiFi capable user devices, such as BlackBerry smartphones and iPhone mobile digital devices, are automatically assigned an IP address by the DHCP server to provide immediate access to the system without user intervention or set-up beyond what is required with any WiFi network.

Aero-TV Asks ICG About 'Phoning It In" From The Flight Levels!

FMI: www.icg.aero, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews