- Nov 9, 2003
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Aviation Daily
Airborne Use Of Cell Phones Expected Within Three Years
By Adrian Schofield
February 17, 2004
Passengers will have roaming access to cell phone networks while airborne within two or three years, ARINC VP and Managing Director Graham Lake predicts, adding the service will be much more popular than the "unmitigated failure" seatback telephones have been for airlines.
Lake said that ARINC will trial an airborne broadband satellite data-link for cell phones and other electronic devices within one year, and that airlines will probably begin introducing the technology within a year or two after that. Aircraft would need to be fitted with a wireless LAN linked to the Inmarsat satellite network, and Lake said certification work would be necessary.
The equipment needed for such a system would be lighter than seatback phones, would not require the same maintenance burden for airlines, and would be cheaper for passengers, Lake said.
Although the seatback phones work very well, they have not been heavily used since their introduction in 1990. Lake said usage levels peaked in 2000 but have now slipped back to 1999 levels. This downward trend is expected to continue.
ARINC carries 24 million ACARS messages a month on its data-link networks, Lake said, and expects to carry 1 million messages a day by 2005. He said data-link services cost airlines only about $4-$5 per flight.
Lake said only 10% of ARINC's data-link traffic is for air traffic control purposes, and ATC benefits for airlines "are actually soft." The airline community has little trust in what ATC providers say they will do regarding data-link, Lake said.
Airborne Use Of Cell Phones Expected Within Three Years
By Adrian Schofield
February 17, 2004
Passengers will have roaming access to cell phone networks while airborne within two or three years, ARINC VP and Managing Director Graham Lake predicts, adding the service will be much more popular than the "unmitigated failure" seatback telephones have been for airlines.
Lake said that ARINC will trial an airborne broadband satellite data-link for cell phones and other electronic devices within one year, and that airlines will probably begin introducing the technology within a year or two after that. Aircraft would need to be fitted with a wireless LAN linked to the Inmarsat satellite network, and Lake said certification work would be necessary.
The equipment needed for such a system would be lighter than seatback phones, would not require the same maintenance burden for airlines, and would be cheaper for passengers, Lake said.
Although the seatback phones work very well, they have not been heavily used since their introduction in 1990. Lake said usage levels peaked in 2000 but have now slipped back to 1999 levels. This downward trend is expected to continue.
ARINC carries 24 million ACARS messages a month on its data-link networks, Lake said, and expects to carry 1 million messages a day by 2005. He said data-link services cost airlines only about $4-$5 per flight.
Lake said only 10% of ARINC's data-link traffic is for air traffic control purposes, and ATC benefits for airlines "are actually soft." The airline community has little trust in what ATC providers say they will do regarding data-link, Lake said.
