Watch Movies, Check Email And, Yes, Talk On Your Cellphone At
FL350
AirCell, the only
company ever to receive regulatory approval to use cellular
frequencies for airborne telecommunications, has announced the
successful completion of its extended airborne demonstration
program, allowing airline customers to experience broadband
communications technology while in flight.
Targeted for commercial deployment in 2007, the AirCell
Broadband System will enable airline passengers to use their own
Wi-Fi & cellular devices such as laptops, PDA's, phones and
Blackberries in a fully-integrated wireless cabin over an
affordable, broadband air-to-ground link.
"The AirCell Broadband System is really the first viable system
for the U.S. market," stated Jack W. Blumenstein, AirCell Chairman
& CEO. "If you look at what our demonstration program achieved
technologically and consider the applications we'll enable for
airlines and travelers, the possibilities are only limited by your
imagination. During the demonstration flights, it was exciting to
watch people experience the system for the first time and hear them
come up with more and more ways they could use it."
According to a company press release, the system uses
standardized equipment and a direct air-to-ground link -- meaning
its installation and operating costs will be a fraction of similar
systems that use satellites. The company believes this will enable
US airlines to provide the connectivity their passengers are
increasingly demanding, at prices very similar to what they pay on
the ground.
The flight demonstration program showcased an advanced
technology prototype of the AirCell Broadband System. Key
demonstration system components and technical features
included:
- A Broadband Air-to-Ground Link that uses custom-designed EVDO
wireless technology. The link provides a high-speed connection
directly from the aircraft to the ground, delivering a
"to-the-seat" user experience similar to a DSL link on the
ground.
- A Cabin Telecommunications Router (CTR) that provides a
high-speed, in-cabin hotspot for WiFi-equipped devices (802.11b/g)
including Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones.
- Multiple Cabin Picocells supporting CDMA and GSM voice
communications for commercial cell phones.
In test applications aboard AirCell's demonstration aircraft,
passengers used the technology to operate their Wi-Fi and cellular
phones. "E-mail over Wi-Fi was perfect," commented one. "The speed
was DSL-like and e-mail and Internet surfing worked
flawlessly."
Participants also made
VoIP phone calls using handsets and over their laptops, and were
even able to watch their home TV live from their PC. Passengers
logged into their corporate VPNs to access e-mail and company
directories. They watched live news, entertainment, and sporting
event broadcasts. They called friends and colleagues, checked their
voice mails, and even updated their return airline reservations
from aboard the demo aircraft.
A vice president from a domestic, low-cost airline noted, "We've
always been intrigued by the concept of airborne wireless
broadband, but the satellite-based systems just aren't viable for
our fleet in North America."
"What AirCell is doing with their system changes everything," he
added. "It provides the speed and capabilities you need at a cost
that's very workable. This opens up a world of potential
applications for internal airline operations as well as
passengers."
Airline executives also predicted that since passengers will
bring their own hardware and have wireless access to the internet,
AirCell Broadband will become a very important aspect of an
airline's ability to entertain & inform its passengers
in-flight.