Surfing On Cloud

Business travellers will soon have Internet access during flights as leading airlines get set to launch in-flight broadband Internet services, says Brian Pereira

The date January 15, 2003 saw yet another milestone in aviation history. Travellers on Lufthansa’s Frankfurt-to-Washington D.C. flight were among the first to try out a high-speed Internet connection. While the 747-400 jet cruised at 35,000 feet, a few privileged passengers tested the broadband network using both wireless and wired Ethernet connections. The service called FlyNet was formally introduced in May 2004. Over the next six months, other leading airlines will introduce in-flight Internet services. And this is really good news for the business traveller, who until now, could only send or receive that all-important e-mail from the airport lounge.

The story of in-flight Internet access dates back to 2001. Connexion, a business unit of airplane giant Boeing, was ready to offer airlines new in-flight Internet services such as email, web surfing, television, voice and electronic gambling. But the air travel business was severely affected following the September 11 tragedy, and US airlines were too focused on their survival. All fresh projects were put on hold. So Connexion turned its attention to Europe and struck a deal with Lufthansa. Now that air travel is back to normalcy, airlines, especially in Asia, are willing to invest in new in-flight services. Over the next few months British Airways, Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways, SAS and Japan Airlines plan to roll out airborne Internet services (most in partnership with Connexion). China Airlines and Korean Air are expected to follow suit.

Hi-tech service

Airlines have long been preparing for in-flight Internet access, a frequent demand from business travellers. The first step was to offer access to cached websites.

E-mails sent during flight were queued and dispatched immediately on landing. But providing real-time Internet access is more tricky. A service of this kind employs a network of satellites and ground stations for data transmission. In the case of Lufthansa, Boeing Connexion provides data services between the ground and the plane at speeds of 128 Kbps upstream and 3 Mbps downstream. Cisco Systems provides the infrastructure for on-board connectivity (both wired Ethernet and wireless.) Every seat in all classes has an RJ-45 (Ethernet) connector for laptops. Lufthansa also provides wireless (Wi-Fi) connectivity. What about those who do not carry a laptop? Well, Lufthansa plans to rent out laptop computers for the duration of the flight.

Other airlines will offer either wireless or wired Ethernet connectivity (or both). Some may also rent out wireless cards (like the hotels do today).

Diverse content

Through in-flight Internet connections, airlines can potentially offer business travellers a variety of services. Lufthansa for instance plans an Internet portal that will offer access to diverse content such as news, stock information, weather updates and travel information.

There are hundreds of websites that offer tips and travel information. With some research, one can arrive at the destination a bit more informed about tourist attractions, transportation, food, culture, society, etiquette, people, foreign exchange, etc. Travellers will also be able to make hotel or inland transport bookings online. The business traveller can also log into the corporate network through a VPN (virtual private network). This will enable him/her to access the latest information within the organisation.

If boredom sets in, one can switch to entertainment. Some get their thrills downloading and listening to favourite MP3 songs, or viewing the latest movie trailers, listening to Internet radio and even viewing rebroadcast television. And of course there’s VoIP, a technology for making low-cost voice calls over the Internet.

With these exciting services a seemingly endless 10-hour long-distance flight is going to get much shorter. The boredom of long-haul flights is about to be shattered.