Airbus, SITA Inc. and Tenzing announced plans to form a company to address the market for in-flight passenger communications, including the use of mobile phones, laptops and personal digital assistants in flight.
The companies said they will offer a portfolio of solutions to allow passengers to use wireless devices while flying and be billed through their normal mobile operators or Internet service providers. Typical international roaming rates would apply for mobile use, and laptop and PDA connectivity would be charged on a usage basis.
The services, to be available on Airbus and Boeing aircraft, will be based on technology that offers airlines a minimal up-front capital investment, a straightforward upgrade path to new services and low overall operating costs, according to the partners.
SITA Inc. is a provider of passenger communications to more than 1,100 commercial aircraft flown by 60 airlines, Tenzing offers in-flight communications software including e-mail and text-messaging systems and Airbus is a manufacturer of commercial aircraft.
In related news, Siemens AG has signed an agreement with Connexion by Boeing for 200,000 Siemens’ employees to remain connected while traveling in the air.
“We are delighted that Siemens is joining the ranks of our existing corporate customers, and we look forward to enabling them to use their travel time more effectively. Siemens is joining our service at a time when corporations can still benefit from securing special promotions for their employees,” said David Friedman, vice president of marketing and direct sales at Boeing.
The Consumer Electronics Association is working with the AFA and other groups to create an industry standard to help flight crews manage the in-flight use of wireless devices. The subject of in-flight wireless communications has received much attention lately as more passengers desire constant connectivity and the industry looks forward to the resulting revenues, while basic safety questions have yet to be addressed.
