In-flight e-mail pioneer Tenzing Communications has secured a deal with US airborne telephony provider Verizon Airfone whereby Tenzing's e-mail services become part of Verizon's JetConnect. The deal is a boost to Tenzing, which only has two airline customers, part-owner Cathay Pacific and Virgin Atlantic Airways.
JetConnect, which includes news, messaging and information services, is available on domestic Continental Airlines and United Airlines services. Trials of the Tenzing service have started and installations are due to begin in the third quarter, says Tenzing.
The deal comes as Tenzing prepares for its first test of whether passengers will pay for its e-mail service, and implements its new business plan.
Tenzing e-mail is available on 42 Cathay widebodies, with charges - $9.95 per flight for passengers to view incoming e-mail headers and $0.60 per kilobyte to send or receive e-mails - to start in June. The service provider recently partnered Hong Kong's biggest internet service provider (ISP), PCCW Netvigator, to make the Netvigator e-mail service available in flight on Cathay aircraft.
The existing 1.2 million Netvigator e-mail account holders are pre-registered for the in-flight service. The company has abandoned its original business model, involving being an airborne ISP, as unviable. "We aim to be the Cisco of in-flight messaging, doing the work in the background," says chief executive Alan McGinnis.
Tenzing hopes to add new airline customers through its short messaging service (SMS), launched by Virgin last August. Passengers are charged $2.50 to send a message one-way, with two-way service planned in June. A further three to five airlines are "seriously interested" in SMS, which involves a 15min software load, says McGinnis.
Source: Flight International
