Something wireless in the AAir (and LOLpresidents)

I'm your humble blogwatcher, fly me. It's Thursday's IT Blogwatch: in which American Airlines and others test in-flight Wi-Fi. Not to mention some hilarious politician macros...

Matt Hamblen und John Blau report, just like a rollin' stone:

American Airlines Inc. will test in-flight Wi-Fi services across the U.S. starting next year, according to the airline and its Wi-Fi provider AirCell LLC. Other airlines are reported by Engadget and others to have expressed interest or have planned tests for 2008 with similar in-flight technology, including Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Southwest Airlines Co. and Qantas Airways Ltd.

Business and leisure passengers on American flights would be able to e-mail and surf the Web from laptops and handheld devices while in flight aboard 767-200 aircraft primarily on transcontinental routes, according to a statement from Itasca, Ill.-based AirCell.
...
Lufthansa, which equipped more than 60 of its 80 long-haul planes to provide Internet access, had offered the Connexion service from The Boeing Co. from early 2004 through the end of last year, when Boeing decided to shut it down, citing economic reasons. [more]

Joshua Topolsky is outside lookin' in:

Lufthansa is apparently continuing the airborne scramble to get customers connected, announcing that with the help of T-Mobile it will be reinstating its broadband service (formerly from Connexion) to its long-haul flights by 2008 ... the Cologne-based company is rolling out a service which will allow broadband connections for laptops, text-messaging on phones, and wireless email (and data, we assume) on hand-helds, similar to recent offerings we've seen from other carriers. Of course, Lufthansa's passengers could still be annoyed by chatter if someone gets clever and decides to rock Skype on a trans-atlantic trip -- unless the airline has plans for blocking VoIP. Only they know for sure. [more]

If Brad Feld's chance came would he take it?:

I am so pleased that American Airlines and Lufthansa are launching broadband internet (via WiFi) on their airplanes starting in 2008.  I’ve been so bummed to have to sit quietly on planes and read a book while not being connected to the Internet.  Soon, in addition to being able to surf the web, I’ll be able to crank up Skype and chatter away with my loved ones to my heart’s content.  I know my seat mate will appreciate this.  The poor folks at the FAA must be so confused about what they can and can’t allow to be on during flight.

Now, if I could just find a power supply in an airport.  Or on an airplane. [more]

Where on earth does Paul Robichaux begin?:

This echoes Boeing's sadly-cancelled Connexion service, with a few differences: AirCell will use a three-antenna system to let selected 767-200 aircraft communicate with the ground. Interestingly, although the release itself doesn't say this, the PR rep who sent it to me said that "This test is for text data only, voice capable products are not included." Thank goodness; I sure don't want to listen to people yapping on their WiFi phones (or Skype, or whatever) on a transcontinental flight. The service test won't start until 2008, but I plan to check it out if I can. (No word yet on whether AA is forcing AirCell to change their name to "AAirCell".) [more]

I've often heard Karl jingle:

U.S. in-flight broadband has been a no-show, thanks largely to the high cost of retrofitting planes, and the low quality of most airlines' finances ... Aircell insists the service, originally slated for a 2007 launch, is significantly lighter than Boeing's failed Connexion service. They also say that at $100,000 per plane (including wiring, core hardware and three antennas), it's less expensive to deploy.

All the truly interesting questions have yet to be answered with anything other than vague promises. [more]

It's never struck a chord with Sam Churchill:

Twelve airlines installed the Connexion system in nearly 160 planes, offering service in Europe and Asia as well as on long-haul flights to North America, but none domestically over the United States ... Boeing said that it had looked for buyers for Connexion but failed to make a deal.
...
Other companies planning to offer WiFi in aircraft include JetBlue’s LiveTV subsidiary which won a tiny part of the spectrum, and may also introduce in-flight service. Row 44  and Starling, also plan to use Ku-band satellite services. Starling’s SKYLink by ARINC Direct (pdf), claims to be the only in-flight broadband satellite service for business aircraft. [more]

With a smile as bright as Glenn Fleishman:

AirCell won the coveted air-to-ground spectrum auction a year ago that gave them the right to a few scanty megahertz of spectrum over which they can deploy about 1.5 Mbps of throughput in both directions to aircraft in flight. Data service via Wi-Fi will be available; cell calling and cell data isn’t in the mix given that the FCC decided to continue an 850 MHz cell frequency ban, and the FAA doesn’t have a plan or a decision on the “airworthiness” of cell phones.
...
Unlike Connexion by Boeing, which had to invent the wheel and had massive annual satellite transponder fees, AirCell is expanding its existing network of ground stations currently used for general (private) aviation. They can also use much smaller antennas and a lot of off-the-shelf transmission gear (they’re using the cell data standard EVDO Rev. A, for instance). The antennas are mounted on the underside of planes, reducing drag and thus the cost per flight to airlines. This dramatically reduces cost of entry, cost to airlines, and ongoing operating expense.
...
Pricing hasn’t been announced, but AirCell reiterated previous statements that service will be at a slight premium over what hotspot service costs on the ground. I would wager they will look at $15 or less for flights of four hours or more; $10 for shorter flights; and $5 an hour for pay-as-you-go ... I would also expect that at the time of the test launch, they will have partnerships in place with aggregators like iPass and Boingo. [more]

She called Jose Vilches through the poster:

AirCell’s previous statements hint that service will be at a slight premium over what hotspot services costs on the ground, with discounted rates for users of existing Wi-Fi hotspots such as Boingo, T-Mobile and iPass. [more]

And welcomed Christopher Null aboard:

Details are slim so far. The service will begin with Boeing 767s in American's fleet, primarily those flying transcontinental, long-haul routes. 802.11a, b, and g (but not n) connections will be supported, and it will be device agnostic: Laptops, smart phones, iPhones, PDAs, and even game devices will be able to use the network. There's no information on how quickly the service might roll out to other planes, shorter flights, or how much it will cost. A specific start date isn't mentioned either, but let's hope it's early in 2008, and not "holiday" 2008.

The rest of the press release ... is filled with nothing but feel-good quotes and clueless banter about how you can use Wi-Fi. That's all fine by me: Just bring on the wireless, baby! (And if the SFO-dominating United could follow suit, that'd be swell, too.). [more]

Take me away, Hammerjoe:

Here we are trying to get broadband 30000feet into the air and I cant get freaking broadband in MY FREAKING HOUSE! [more]

[That's enough 10CC lyrics -Ed.]

Buffer overflow:

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• Michael R. Farnum: Helping along the next generation of security professionals
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Previously in IT Blogwatch

• Microsoft's OSI open-source offer (and Nasha... hic!)
• Grub-by open source searching (and weirdest mating ritual)
• And so the iPhone class-action action begins (and recut trailers)
• Tarjay and Blu-ray: ixnay on the ormatfay arway (and erroray)
• 365 Main's mains power outage outrage (and popcorn)
• Older posts

And finally... LOLpresidents.com

Richi Jennings is an independent technology and marketing consultant, specializing in email, blogging, Linux, and computer security. A 20 year, cross-functional IT veteran, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. Contact Richi at blogwatch@richi.co.uk. Don't be surprised if someone said, "Hi, I'm Mandy fly me."