The News Corporation-Rockwell Collins joint venture In-Flight Network (IFN) has teamed with satellite communication provider Globalstar and digital wireless communications specialist Qualcomm in a move to provide in-flight broadband internet and e-mail services to airline passengers by early next year.
The partners are jointly developing a system to provide broadband internet access, e-mail, paging and voice-over-IP applications directly to aircraft. Services will be transmitted via the Globalstar satellite network and back-up geostationary satellites, yet to be decided. The 48-satellite low-Earth orbit (LEO) Globalstar system, which provides personal telecommunication services, is limited to data rates of only 9.6kbit/s. Qualcomm-developed enhancements to its code division multiple access (CDMA) technology will push the datalink speed to in excess of 200kbit/s, says Globalstar. Further CDMA developments will increase the data rate to 800kbit/s next year, it adds. These data rates are higher than any available to/from aircraft today.
The current Inmarsat-3s, over which most of the proposed in-flight e-mail services will be delivered, have a maximum data speed of 64kbit/s, while the new Inmarsat-4s, which will be operational from 2004, will increase data rates to 432kbit/s. The partners are also evaluating other satellite-based products and services available from Globalstar and its parent Loral Space & Communications.
IFN was formed earlier this year to provide airlines with live television, internet access and e-mail services, as well as standard video and audio programming.
A prototype system was tested on flights over North America earlier this month and laboratory demonstrations to airlines start in mid-July, with in-flight demonstrations from a southern Californian airport to follow later this year.
The alliance is a boost for Globalstar, which is the only LEO global satellite system operator still in its original form. Former competitor Iridium went bankrupt earlier this year, while ICO is merging with Teledesic following its rescue from bankruptcy protection.
Globalstar has not been without its problems, however, with the operator conceding that the roll-out of its services has been slower than expected and it will need an extra $160 million in funding by the end of the year.
Source: Flight International
