In-flight mobile phone use is on the way. But after surmounting the plethora of legislative hurdles, will it succeed where satcom-based telephony failed?
After years of the in-flight entertainment and communication industry talking about it, the day when passengers will be allowed to use their mobile phones in-flight is drawing near.
Whether you view this as a natural progression in in-flight communications or a move that will adversely affect the airborne environment and cause more problems than it’s worth, it is going to happen in the not too distant future.
The two issues that have prevented mobile phones being used on aircraft to date – the technology to control the mobile phone signal to ensure it does not interfere with aircraft systems, and satisfying regulatory authorities that mobile phone use is safe and will not affect terrestrial communications systems – are about to be resolved. The technology is ready, with service providers, including AeroMobile, AirCell and OnAir, preparing and testing their wares, while the regulatory hurdles, once seen as insurmountable, are beginning to be overcome.
The AeroMobile joint venture of ARINC and Telenor is likely to be the first to market, with its voice and data services. AeroMobile’s service start is geared around the plans of its launch customer, which signed a letter of intent in February, says David Coiley, director of aircraft mobile connectivity. AeroMobile is expected to reveal the identity of its launch customer at next week’s World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) show in Hamburg, Germany.
The airline is believed to be based in the Middle East and is adopting AeroMobile fleetwide. The service provider has a second unidentified customer and is working with “a number that are actively interested in the technology”, says Coiley, adding that airlines have done considerable market research on in-flight mobile use and have positive requests for it from their passengers.
The first installation, on a Boeing 777, is scheduled for the first quarter of 2006, ready for certification flights and service start as soon as regulatory approval is in place, says Coiley. More should be known about the regulatory status at the end of October when Europe’s communication authority, the European Committee of Posts and Telegraphs (CEPT), is due to make a decision on a harmonised regional framework that will pave the way for services to be launched, although Coiley concedes this decision could slip by a quarter.
In the meantime, AeroMobile is ensuring all the parts of its end-to-end solution are in place, including the technology and agreements with mobile service providers.
Broadband platforms
AeroMobile will operate via classic Inmarsat Aero-H/H+ satellite communications systems already on board 1,900-plus long-haul airliners. “We took a key decision early on not to be dependent on factors we had no control over,” says Coiley, adding that because it is using existing “classic” Inmarsat services, it can move quickly. AeroMobile plans to progress to broadband communications platforms as they become available. But unlike expensive satcom-based telephony, AeroMobile’s GSM service will be priced in line with international cellphone roaming rates, at an average of $3.50 a minute – a price that is acceptable according to market research, says Coiley.
The system includes a server, a “picocell” base station transmitter and a cabin cellphone management unit to prevent mobiles interfering with terrestrial systems. Irish firm Altobridge is providing the software, Miltope provides the server, IP.access the picocell and Intheairnet has developed the cabin crew control panel to enable cabin crew to control the service, including turning off the voice service at certain times.
Since April, the system has been undergoing a “very rigorous workout” on the Boeing 777-200LR, which recently completed its world tour. The AeroMobile system was installed on the aircraft as part of a demonstration of new cabin features. As a result of the installation, AeroMobile has more than 24 hours of call time logged on the system, says Coiley. AeroMobile and Boeing are now exploring the feasibility of line-fitting AeroMobile services on new Boeing aircraft, starting with the 777 family.
Next after AeroMobile is OnAir, which is targeting the second half of next year to launch its in-flight GSM service. “This is assuming no significant unexpected delays in the regulatory and certification processes,” adds George Cooper, chief executive officer of the Airbus, SITA, Tenzing venture.
OnAir plans to offer its GSM service in Europe first, followed by the Middle East and Asia. “We are currently working with a number of airlines in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and we expect to make an announcement as to our launch customer in the very near future,” says Cooper.
OnAir’s system works in much the same way as AeroMobile’s. It comprises a picocell to provide the radio interface to mobile phones in the cabin; an onboard channel selector to ensure onboard mobile phones operate in a mode compliant with certification and regulatory requirements; a server to manage communications centrally; and an air-to-ground modem. Siemens is providing the picocell and onboard channel selector, Miltope is supplying the airborne server and German firm Triagnosys the software.
A passenger’s GSM mobile phone will connect to an onboard mini-GSM network in an international roaming mode. In turn, the mini-GSM network will be connected to the ground infrastructure via an air-to-ground link and the OnAir ground infrastructure will be connected to the public networks.
Unlike AeroMobile, OnAir’s service will use Inmarsat’s new Swift Broadband service as the air-to-ground link. Swift Broadband will be available through Inmarsat’s new Inmarsat-4 satellites, the first of which was launched in March. The second satellite is due for launch later this year, and the third satellite will follow.
OnAir conducted flight tests last year and more are planned soon. Flight tests leading to certification are planned for late 2005/early 2006 and commercial trials are likely to follow, says Cooper.
OnAir plans to offer a suite of services at a different prices, ranging from text messages at about ¢50 a message, to premium internet and corporate network access at the top of the scale.
Premium services will be available for the whole flight “at competitive rates”, says Cooper. “Passengers will be able to choose from a menu of services, billed according to what is most convenient to them, including their monthly phone or internet service provider bill.” Individual mobile operators will set phone charges. Data services are likely to be about $9.95 a flight to send and receive an unlimited amount of emails and $4.95 for up to four hours’ email access. “OnAir will charge the airlines for the use of the system and airlines will have the choice of how they charge their passengers,” says Cooper.
Regulatory issue
The only thing that stands in the way of OnAir’s launch is the regulatory issue, but Cooper says that process is “moving forward steadily and we are not seeing anything that we believe will not be insurmountable”. Cooper concedes the regulatory process is complex because of the involvement of various bodies in a number of countries.
Regulatory and certification issues go hand in hand when it comes to gaining approval for the onboard use of mobile phones, says Andrew Charlton, OnAir’s head of regulatory affairs. “The regulators will not be comfortable unless the equipment is certified and the certification bodies will not be comfortable about the equipment being used unless the regulators have approved its use,” he says.
OnAir has adopted a “horizontal approach” to gaining approval, whereby a law of state of registration of the aircraft applies to the approval of in-flight telephony, rather than needing approval from each country over which the aircraft flies. But for this approach to work, a harmonised regional-level framework is required.
While Europe’s CEPT is working on its regional framework, a draft framework is being considered by the Asia Pacific Telecommunity which is expected to be referred for approval before the end of this year. “In both cases, the framework sets out that licences should be issued by the state of registration of the aircraft, provided it can be shown there is no harmful interference to either avionics or terrestrial systems,” says Charlton.
In the Middle East, OnAir has started talks with regulators and the technical group looking at interference issues. In the USA, the company is participating in the consultation process as part of the US Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) notice of proposed rule making (NPRM) which was issued in February with a view to the FCC relaxing its ban on the in-flight use of mobiles. The FCC is expected to issue a final ruling next year.
On the certification front, OnAir is working through Airbus, with the airframe manufacturer initially seeking approval for a system for the Airbus A320 series family. That work is continuing smoothly, says Charlton, and is expected to be concluded by mid-2006.
US companies are also preparing their services. Colorado-based AirCell, for example, has probably been talking about the in-flight use of mobiles for longer than anyone else. In early September the company launched formal customer demonstrations of its broadband system, which supports in-flight mobile use in addition to internet, email and other data services, on a Dassault Falcon 2000 business jet.
AirCell’s broadband system effectively turns the aircraft into a small office building, says chairman and chief executive Jack Blumenstein, with a wi-fi access structure connected to a communication portal linking the aircraft to the ground and terrestrial networks.
An onboard picocell allows both GSM and code division multiple access (CDMA) mobile phones to be used, while a telecommunications router provides high-speed, in-cabin wireless connectivity for wireless laptops and personal digital assistants.
The system uses standard off-the-shelf, low-cost equipment and leverages infrastructure and technology already on the ground, which allows AirCell to deliver a system at the lowest possible cost, says Blumenstein. The goal is to deliver an equipment cost to airlines of $100,000 or less for a typical aircraft installation.
User costs will be comparable to those on the ground, he says, with a wireless session typically costing about $10 and voice around the ¢25-30 a minute roaming charge charged by providers on the ground.
All that is holding up AirCell is the regulatory side. The company is waiting for the US FCC to conduct its spectrum auction in the 800MHz band that would allow it to offer broadband services. This auction is expected in the second quarter of next year, to be followed by four or five months of regulatory work.
At the end of this year, AirCell expects to have its launch airline in place, with trials to be scheduled as soon as the FCC’s auction process ends. Late next year or early 2007, AirCell expects its first airline customers to start service, says Blumenstein. The company is engaged in “late-stage discussions” with half a dozen airlines, he says. Boeing has also been testing its in-flight wireless communications on the Connexion One 737-300 test aircraft in conjunction with communication technology company Qualcomm.
Last month the partners said they had demonstrated the simultaneous use of CDMA and GSM phone technology.
The demonstrations involved use of a small in-cabin CDMA2000 and GSM picocell with the onboard network connected to the global terrestrial telephony network using the Connexion air-to-ground satellite broadband link.
Passengers on the test flights used Qualcomm’s BREW system, which allowed them to download business applications, games, information and communication applications in-flight. They could also download and watch video clips and make phone calls on different mobile phones, including 3G devices.
The partners say they will continue with research and development to support the feasibility of in-flight mobile phone use. Boeing says it is working on enabling technology now to ensure it is ready to provide service when the market is ready.
Boeing says several of its Connexion customers have expressed interest in the technology, but many are waiting to see the outcome of regulatory issues and passenger demand before deciding.
The not insignificant social – or anti-social – issues associated with passengers talking – or, more likely, shouting – into their mobile phones in-flight is also being seriously considered by service providers.
The service providers have an important role to play in managing the social issues, says AeroMobile. “We see it as our task to convince passengers that it’s safe and we have to convince them they won’t get ripped off, but also that they need to be considerate to fellow passengers,” says Coiley. He believes some of the hysteria over social issues has been overblown and most passengers will behave reasonably. A social etiquette will develop, as it has on the ground, with, for example, passengers moving from their seats to another area to take calls, Coiley suggests.
OnAir says it is working with airlines and mobile phone manufacturers on a number of social issues. “In particular, we are looking closely at the management of the cabin social environment, including the disabling of voice service, while still allowing SMS and data, during ‘night-time’,” says Cooper.
Social issues
Despite passengers having access to telephony in-flight for more than a decade and the service never really taking off – primarily due to costly satcoms service coupled with unfamiliarity – service providers are convinced that in-flight telephony will be a winner this time thanks to mobile phones.
AeroMobile’s Coiley concedes that many entertainment and communications options offered onboard aircraft in the past have failed to deliver, but in-flight mobile telephony is unique. “This is the first application where passengers do exactly what they do on the ground,” he says, adding that they have overcome the unfamiliarity concept at the same time as making the service more economically appealing to passengers.
“A substantial amount of research has been conducted by a number of companies and the results tell us that the consumer expects to be able to use his/her mobile phone wherever they are,” says OnAir’s Cooper. He adds: “OnAir is meeting these expectations by providing travellers with the choice to use their mobile phones onboard. The choice is a real one because the cost and user-friendliness factors that were previously missing are now in-line with customer expectations.”
The process to bring the capability has not been easy and now service providers must deliver, says Blumenstein. “Setting the table has been a lot of work but we now have to serve the meal.”
EMMA KELLY/PERTH
Source: Flight International
