Thanks to Jamie for sending me to the DailyWireless.org blog; its main focus is on municipal wireless, grass roots community networks and WiMAX developments.
I have to admit that it wasn’t an article on municipal wireless that caught my eye today; it was an article on a great wireless application – access to WiFi on the airplane (FlyFi Takes Off).
I have done more flying in the last 3 months than I have done in years. I hate flying. I’m a white-knuckled, two-beer-required flyer. But I think it I could get online the time might whisk by a little faster.
Apparently the FCC auctioned reallocated the 800Mhz Air-to-Ground band in 2004. It was purchased by Aircell and LiveTV. (Service though that band is limited to North America.) Here’s a short list of what four major carriers have planned:
- American Airlines began testing the service (through Aircell) on its fleet of Boeing 767-200 aircraft this August with the goal is to provide broadband service to all passengers in 2008.
- JetBlue plans a nation-wide PlaneFi service using competitor LiveTV, a wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue. They are testing free e-mail and instant-messaging on one Airbus A320.
- Alaska Airline’s passengers get a Wi-Fi connection for Internet, e-mail, VPNs, and stored in-flight entertainment through Row 44. Alaska hopes to have Wi-Fi connections on all 144 of its planes up and running by spring 2008 and more than 100 channels of live television.
- Virgin America is also going with Aircell for Wi-Fi enabled devices. Their Red Inflight Entertainment network will allow customers to use a wide variety of instant messaging services on their seatbacks. The company hopes to have its all of its planes connected “sometime in 2008.”