In-Flight WiFi Becoming More Widespread
16 03 2009Folks,
Having Internet connections while flying on a plane is way cool! Makes me wonder if video chats would be possible? Hope so, but this article did not say anything about video conference, though. Talks about having access to Internet while flying.
Not free, though.
eyes open & thumbs up,
Ed
Wow this is great – only concern is the amount of broadband space available – would it get congested if there is a single point of connection…
Yes we all know that we Deaf ‘kiss fist’ freebies but to me $9.95 is a great price worth paying to be able to communicate with one’s loved ones when flying….
Cheers
Jeff
>> Makes me wonder if video chats would be possible?
One airline is using a satellite up-link. That would create the same latency (delay) problem that we have with ground based satellite antennas. (Basic physics: radio waves cannot travel faster than the speed of light and the satellites are “x” miles above earth.)
Others are using air-to-ground broadband. Speed estimates vary widely, which means they are still guessing.
Propeller heads can read the article at: http://arstechnica.com/telecom/news/2009/03/in-flight-internet-really-uh-takes-off.ars which says:
>> With EVDO Rev. A and its 1.5 MHz of spectrum in each direction, Aircell can achieve a few Mbps to the plane, and several hundred Mbps from the plane. The company expects to have ten times those rates with LTE.<<
Since video only requires 256 kbps up/down, the systems – as designed – could handle two-way video chat.
However, the problem will be that is all shared bandwidth. If fifteen different passengers all open up their laptops at the same time and start streaming movies from Netflix or iTunes, there might not be enough bandwidth to support your video chat.
One of the service providers is installing 1TB disk drives in all their on-board routers. That would imply that they intend to use a proxy server setting up a live cache on the plane. Proxy servers tend to interfere with some video protocols. (That is why many of our home routers need to be configured with a special address and port routing for some video phones.)
So… Will it work? The technology is capable of supporting two-way video chat but the actual implementation by provider may degrade video quality or block the video ports entirely.
I predict that our advocacy organizations will need to get involved and lobby the providers and the air-lines for access to video-chat.
(jk)
Hi Ed,
Thank you for your recent announcement upon the WI-FI system widespread the commerical airlines. Indeed, I am aware that Virgin American is going to serve the internet connection system this year since I am fan of this airline. I rode this airplane to Los Angeles from Dulles twice last year by using my DVD player with the electricity plug. It helped me to relieve my watching movies within 5 hours without restless of long flight. Especially the interior of this plane, it comforts me well and the light changed dimming with purple, pink, and blue, seats, etc. I feel like I am on U.S.S. Enterprise. Ha!
Next trip, I will take this plane if they offers the best airfare to grab earlier.
Take care,
Nick
Nick and others,
Why can’t we simply relax and live temporarily without the use of technology during our airline flights or any kind of transportation?
I was horrible to see that the one RV equipped with the “17″ flat tv in front of the driver’s seat yesterday. Why in the world, the driver have to watch the TV during the road driving??
We are too dependency on technology to validate our own existence as human beings anyway.
More and more people ever complain about the total strangers on public transportation without embracing the true humanity and interconnecteness among us as human beings.
I do not own the wireless pager, portable DVD player and other portable communication devices.
We have to think about the wireless technology pollution which already pollute our airwaves and affect our human bodies more than previously thought.
More and more people became allergic to the wireless and WiFi airwave frequency and have to shield the frequency within their own residences. Those people are not really the crazy ones, but reality.
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
If portable videophones fail to work then I guess the deaf and hard of hearing will motion to receive Wi-Fi for free. Users who receive Wi-Fi for free due to said consideration better know how to handle IP relay in standard English while on the flights!
This is frakking great news….
Internet on the plane…no more being bored and limited only to DVD movies or downloaded movies…or solitaire..or a book….
=========
RLM, get with the times pal…it’s 2009 baby!!!
RLM,
You do have a point. We need to stop and look at flowers, smell them, and just enjoy the majesty of GREAT nature. As J-J sez, it is 2009, though. I believe it is ok to be gadget dependent, but at the same time not to forgot all the beauty what nature has to offer. I readily admit I’m a gadget addict.
Japan is developing robts that can think up to 3rd grade level. Is Terminator not far off in the future? [g]
Cheers….
Ed
One other thing. Gadgets actually can help bring people to nature. Geocaching is perfect example of where gps technology brings people to nature – parks, wooded area, to many interesting sites. I backpack and hike because of security of gps – nearly impossible to get lost with gps.
Ed