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Boeing's Connexion hopes to offer mobile calls on planes by next year
Arch rival Airbus already has a tie-up with Siemens to introduce voice calls in airplanes.
BY OUR TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT
9 July, 2005: Mobile phone calls on airplanes may become a regular feature soon, if Boeing's attempts to introduce them on flights turn a reality. Arch rival Airbus is already on way to making this possible on its long-haul flights.
Boeing Company's Connexions, which already offers wireless latop internet in select flights, is working with Qualcomm to ferret out a solution to the vexed, yet lucratve issue. As of now, the skies still remain out of the reach of mobile service providers. There are two reasons; first, mobile phone usage on aircraft is banned by federal authorities. Then, there are safety issues of cellphone signals potentially messing with the aircraft's own signals.
Connexion expects to provide in-flight wireless voice and data services if regulators give the go-ahead. Towards this end, Connexion and Qualcomm are working to introduce the services on a specially equipped Boeing 737-400 plane.
Last month, US Federal Aviation Administration told legislators that major challenges remained to the in-flight use of cellphones, even if communications regulators eased a ban currently in place.
Airbus already has a collaboration with Germany's Siemens to develop technology to enable mobile phone calls possible for in-flight passengers by 2006.
Connexion stated that it hopes to start hawking mobile phone services to air travellers as early as 2006, though some surveys have shown some customers object to the idea of voice calls in close cabins.
Qualcomm sells technology licenses and chips for mobile phones based on CDMA, the dominant cellphone standard in the United States.
BY OUR TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT
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