Wednesday, May 8, 2002
High Speed In The High Skies
Posted by Brad Adrian in "NEWS" @ 06:30 PM
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2002/q2/nr_020507j.html
Boeing has just announced that they have recieved Federal Aviation Administration certification of their new in-flight high-speed connectivity network, called "Connexion by Boeing." The network is aimed at providing airline passengers the ability to access the Internet and e-mail systems at near-DSL speeds while in the air.
I especially like the flair with which the final FAA paperwork was handled:
"In an industry first, the final test summary paperwork necessary for certification was e-mailed to FAA officials in Los Angeles via the satellite communication link from the Connexion One airplane, while flying 35,000 feet above New Mexico. The document and supporting material, totaling 800 kilobytes, were transmitted to FAA officials in real-time in less than 30 seconds..."
Initially, the product will serve primarily high-end private planes, like corporate jets. But this surely paves the way for the rest of us to eventually be able to be even more productive while traveling. To me, this is really exciting, because even though I can currently work with my Pocket PC while in flight, there are still many times when I really need to send and receive messages, synchronize or connect to other networks. (Now, if only they could do SOMETHING about those in-flight meals.)
One important remaining question, of course, is how much this would cost travelers like you and me. Personally, I'd be willing to pony up a few bucks on a long flight in order to maintain connectivity. But, I'm sure this service will start out a bit pricey. I'd probably be willing to spend (and be able to justify on an expense report) a total of about $10 on a long -- 4 or 5 hour -- flight. How about you?
Boeing has just announced that they have recieved Federal Aviation Administration certification of their new in-flight high-speed connectivity network, called "Connexion by Boeing." The network is aimed at providing airline passengers the ability to access the Internet and e-mail systems at near-DSL speeds while in the air.
I especially like the flair with which the final FAA paperwork was handled:
"In an industry first, the final test summary paperwork necessary for certification was e-mailed to FAA officials in Los Angeles via the satellite communication link from the Connexion One airplane, while flying 35,000 feet above New Mexico. The document and supporting material, totaling 800 kilobytes, were transmitted to FAA officials in real-time in less than 30 seconds..."
Initially, the product will serve primarily high-end private planes, like corporate jets. But this surely paves the way for the rest of us to eventually be able to be even more productive while traveling. To me, this is really exciting, because even though I can currently work with my Pocket PC while in flight, there are still many times when I really need to send and receive messages, synchronize or connect to other networks. (Now, if only they could do SOMETHING about those in-flight meals.)
One important remaining question, of course, is how much this would cost travelers like you and me. Personally, I'd be willing to pony up a few bucks on a long flight in order to maintain connectivity. But, I'm sure this service will start out a bit pricey. I'd probably be willing to spend (and be able to justify on an expense report) a total of about $10 on a long -- 4 or 5 hour -- flight. How about you?
