Mobile
phones prepare for take-off on Airbus with Inmarsat
Swiftbroadband
The day that airline passengers can use their mobile
phones and surf the internet has come another step closer
with announcement of a deal to equip Airbus jets with
Inmarsat SwiftBroadband.
OnAir, the venture between European aircraft manufacturer
Airbus and air transport communications specialist Sita,
have selected Inmarsat to provide the service on board commercial flights,
it was announced at the UK's Farnborough Air Show.
It means that from the beginning of next year, Airbus
passengers will no longer have to put away their mobiles
and Blackberries when they fasten their seatbelts.
Instead, lightweight TopFlight Satcom terminals
will use Inmarsat's high-speed SwiftBroadband service
to enable them to carry on just as they would on terra
firma.
Through an onboard mobile base station, the system
effectively creates its own GSM network that routes
calls and data from networks on the ground via Inmarsat's
new generation I-4 satellites.
The service supports a range of applications including
voice calls and text messages, as well as broadband
connectivity for PDAs and laptop PCs.
It also includes features that manage bandwidth use
and allow the crew to control the level of service offered
to passengers, for example switching the network to
'data only' should the flight operator wish to introduce
quiet periods during flights.
OnAir says it plans to begin fitting the terminals
in Airbus and Boeing aircraft in 2007, with launches
following for Air France, TAP and BMI flights. It estimates
the market for the service will be more than 700 million
passengers by 2009.
TopFlight Satcom SwiftBroadband equipment was
selected by OnAir because it is light and compact, and
the transceiver and antenna are specially designed to
meet the needs of airline passengers.
Richard Deakin, managing director of UK's aerospace
activities, commented: "To be part of a key step
forward in the aerospace industry through providing
next-generation services to airline customers is proof
that our technology continues to push the boundaries
of what is possible.
"Passengers have been asking for mobile phone
and data access on aircraft for years. This programme
finally answers that call."
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Archives: (2005 ) / (2006)
 28 November 2006
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28 November 2006
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July 2006
Mobile
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take-off on Airbus with
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A Completes
Satellite Switch in AOR-W |
