Given our presentation in class by Joe last night, I thought this article on cell phones in airplanes was highly applicable. The ongoing inquiry that was going on re: loosening the restriction on cell phone use in-flight has been dropped - we can't expect to be talking on cell phones in an aircraft anytime soon. The article did discuss, however, that Wi-Fi would be a different story. As noted in the article, "A spokesman for AirCell, the Colorado firm that received an FCC license last year enabling it to set up hot spots on aircraft, confirmed Tuesday that the company still plans to begin offering its exclusive service to passengers by early 2008."
The full article can be found at:
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1035_22-6172992.html
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During the research for my presentation I also read an article about this company. You are correct, we will probably see onboard Internet service via Wi-Fi or Wi-Max before we will see cell phone service. From all of the research done by the experts so far, the conclusion has been that most people would rather surf than talk on their cell. Besides, it's a great way to pass the time for some people. I prefer reading when I fly, becuase I can't stand people looking over my shoulder when I'm online. Boeing even tried providing their own broadband access to airlines who bought their airplanes. The service was called Connexion, and it was accessed via their own Ku-band satellite links. Several airlines bought it, but it was not very popular, and the service was eventually cancelled. Perhaps it was just a bit too early for the business model to succeed, or maybe it was too expensive for most customers. Although the news was dissapointing for Boeing, the good news is that the knowledge they gained in creating the service has been redirected towards their latest push: onbaord networks, combining both wired and wireless features. These will be standard features on the new 787 Dreamliner, scheduled for first delivery in April 2008.
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