Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Airborne Use Of Cell Phones Expected Within Three Years

From: Marcelrf <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 20:02:02 -0500

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.

http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_aviationdaily_story.jsp?id=news/cel02174.xml

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