Sky's no limit to the internet

By CHRIS DANIELS

SEATTLE - The last place on Earth you can get away from work is in the air. Well, not for much longer. Connexion, a division of Boeing, is introducing its in-air broadband systems in aircraft around the world.

And they love showing it off.

On a demonstration flight in a Boeing 737 jet in Seattle this week, Connexion showed that it will not be long before emails about cheap Viagra and Nigerian bank deals catch up with you - at 30,000 feet.

Each aircraft fitted with the system is a WiFi "hotspot" delivering high-speed internet wirelessly around the plane. But modem cables can also be used with laptops.

While their demonstration jet came provided with laptops for each seat, the system is designed for passengers using their own, making the plane's IT set-up no different from a hotel room.

Before we took off there was a faintly alarming announcement that as the jet was experimental it did not comply with all safety regulations (without specifying exactly which ones).

After levelling out, we were told to get out the laptops found in the seat pocket. No configuration or complicated steps were needed to power up, log in and begin high-speed surfing. While the aircraft was flying level and straight, the link was stable and quick.

Email sent, email received, Herald website checked for news of the heartbreaking loss by Wellington to Canterbury in the NPC final - all done quicker than I usually can at work.

It really worked, and others using their own equipment (including a handheld computer) also reported good results.

Soon Dutch television was popping up on one reporter's laptop as we flew high over Washington State's Cascade mountains.

Connexion was set up in 2000 and had a rough start, although things are looking up now.

Enthusiastic airlines were queuing to have internet access beamed into their planes.

Then came September 11, and the same airlines were suddenly more worried about how they would pay the next fuel bill than whether passengers could check systems.

Now Connexion says things are back on track, with five airlines committed to the idea.

Thirteen aircraft have been fitted with the satellite system and 30 due to come into service by the end of the year.

Lufthansa was the first airline to launch Connexion, introducing it in May.

In the latest aircraft to be fitted with the Connexion systems, the Japanese airline ANA has installed laptop power points in the first class and business class seats of its new Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft. Those sitting in economy have full broadband access, but must use battery power.

Singapore Airlines is due to launch a live TV service through its system in May next year, making it the first airline to offer TV on international flights.

The satellite footprint now extends from the West Coast of the US, across the Atlantic and Europe and most of Asia.

Permanent service across the Pacific, including New Zealand, is due in 2006 with the launch of a new satellite.

Connexion is gently trying to steer perceptions away from the idea that there will now be no peace from work in the air.

Spokesman Stan Deal said the ability to watch TV, movies and surf the web in the air will change perceptions of flight time, making long haul travel seem quicker.

It will also allow people to keep in touch with family and loved ones.

But the business plan for Connexion is more sophisticated that just providing internet and TV access for passengers.

Individual airlines are not able to customise it for their own needs - the charging regime for access is applied by Boeing across the board, meaning an airline could not, for instance, offer it free to its first-class passengers.

Connexion acts as the internet provider, collecting the money from users but sharing a portion with the airline. Connexion owns all the equipment installed in the aircraft.

The technology being used now has been installed in the planes after construction, but will soon be put in during construction.

And despite being a division of Boeing, Connexion will fit out any aircraft, including arch-rival Airbus.

The airlines claim they have happily abdicated responsibility for managing the internet service.

Why? One reason is the added complexity and cost involved with setting up a billing system, but another reason they are less open about is that it is likely one airline would start giving it away free - like alcohol on planes and frequent flyer miles.

Another Connexion spokesman, Terrance Scott, said that VoIP (voice over internet protocol), while technically possible, was some way off for aircraft. It would be bandwidth-intensive for a start, and for a sector still in its infancy on the ground (with many regulatory issues still needing to be resolved) it was unlikely to be available on aircraft anytime soon.

Connexion expects that email will be the preferred way of communicating with the ground, though instant messenger conversations will be possible. Boeing also hopes airlines will start using the new system to improve communication between planes in the air and ground support. For example, details of a non-critical problem noted in an engine during a long-haul flight, could be sent to the airport, and a part could be ready for installation as soon as the plane landed.

The cost of sky-high internet:

Flat-rate pricing: US$14.95 on short-haul flights under 3 hours; US$19.95 on medium-haul flights of 3 to 6 hours and US$29.95 on long-haul flights over 6 hours.

Pricing by the minute: US$7.95 initial fee for the first 30 minutes on a short-haul flight; US$9.95 initial fee for the first 30 minutes on medium and long-haul flights, then 25USc a minute.

* Chris Daniels travelled to Seattle courtesy of the Star Alliance and Boeing.


Connexion By Boeing