KIERAN DALY / LONDON
Alitalia has restarted a trial on a Boeing 767 of the e-mail service provided by AirTV and ASI Entertainment as a precursor to AirTV's planned internet and global television service. Saudi Arabian Airlines is working on a similar programme on a Boeing 747-400.
The system, christened Data3mail, marries ASI's proprietary data-compression software to standard Inmarsat Data 3 satellite communications to provide e-mail access. Passengers can send e-mail and check e-mail headers before paying to upload them if they wish at a fixed rate per kilobit.
AirTV's planned internet service depends on its technical and financial ability to build a four-satellite constellation also providing up to 60 channels of video and audio via a S-band link.
"This is a true 'David and Goliath' story in which our small and efficient company is moving ahead with its visionary plan to revolutionise in-flight entertainment," says AirTV chairman and chief executive John Larkin.
Source: Flight International
