In-flight internet access, that perennial favourite of airshows, will again be top of the agenda at Paris. The main contenders squaring up will be Connexions by Boeing and Tenzing's offering via Inmarsat's Swift64.
Showgoers can also expect at least one strategic partnering announcement, probably by avionics specialist Rockwell Collins which has a 15% stake in Tenzing. Lufthansa announced in May that it is to equip its entire long-haul fleet of 80 aircraft with Connexion by Boeing, following successful trials earlier this year. The company has also recently been granted a supplemental type certificate to install wireless local area networks (WLANs) in commercial aircraft cabins.
Meanwhile, Rockwell Collins undertook tests of Tenzing's in-flight internet service via Inmarsat's 64Kbits/sec Swift64 service in February.
The tests were conducted on an Airbus-owned A318 demonstrator aircraft equipped with the Airbus In-flight Information System (AFIS) hosting Tenzing's e-mail software connected to the ground network. Connectivity was provided over Rockwell Collins's SAT-906 satcom system and HST-900 high-speed data transceiver.
Mark Johnson, director of business development, information management and commercial systems at Rockwell Collins, says this could be the year when in-flight internet finally becomes a mainstream commercial reality.
Networking"We've been looking at the market and conditions for information management and have defined what our overall strategy should be. We see a future in networking the aircraft to the rest of the world," Johnson says.
Tenzing's speeds are not blistering - 64Kbits/sec is similar to that of a standard land-based modem and 128Kbits/sec is ISDN-like. Neither come close to the broadband speeds offered by Boeing's Connexions service via Ku band satellites.
"I think networking an aircraft has been a lot more difficult than many people imagined and there has been a lot of gung-ho spirit. But people have come to understand the need to serve multiple users on an aircraft," says Johnson.
"Swift64 is not the be-all and end-all and broadband is the ultimate end state. It remains to be seen if the systems we have at present converge as a single solution in the long term."
Source: Flight Daily News
