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Geneva (pte025/17.02.2005/11:30) - European company Airbus and Geneva-based information technology company SITA http://www.sita.aero have announced that they have set up a joint venture to make mobile telephone services available for passengers during flights. In a statement on SITA's website, the new company, OnAir, said that the new system should allow passenger to use their own mobile phone and laptop wireless internet access to communicate normally with people on the ground, possible after 2006. It added that the system, which relies on widely used GSM technology rather than upcoming third generation mobile telephony had undergone "successful in-flight testing by Airbus. It will also be developed for Boeing airliners.
http://www.sita.aero/News_Centre/Press_releases/Press_releases_2005/OnAir_To_Be_A_Standard_Option.htm
"OnAir's goal is to provide voice and data communications for short and long-haul flights on Airbus and Boeing aircraft in a manner that facilitates passenger choice and is economically attractive to both consumers," said Francesco Violante, managing director of SITA. "We estimate that the number of passengers in the addressable market for onboard GSM telephony will be over 700 million by 2009. Meeting the communications needs of these air travellers will need to become part of an airline's passenger service offer," he added.
Airlines have provided onboard air-to-ground fixed telephones on some seats at a premium charge. The move to virtually unhampered in-flight telephony would end the airliner's status as one of the last few havens from mobile telephones. According to George Cooper, OnAir's chief executive, the aircraft will effectively be turned into a mobile base station, allowing business travellers to use their phones and e-mail freely except in the take-off and landing phase. "Each airliner will be like a country in the sky," he said. "The price you pay should be no more than standard roaming charge in Europe." According to OnAir, aviation and telecommunications authorities were examining the system for certification, and talks were underway with several unnamed airlines to equip short and medium haul flights in Europe.
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