Exclusive Deal While supplies last, save 40% off over 40 iPhone 5 and iPhone 4/4S cases and chargers as well as Samsung S III cases at Kensington.com. Use coupon code 'SAVE40%' at checkout to receive this exclusive discount.      

Air France tests data through standard cell signals

updated 03:15 pm EST, Thu December 20, 2007

 

Air France tests cellular


Air France has become the world's first airline to equip an international flight with a form of regular cellular technology, says the Associated Press. One of the company's Airbus A318s now lets users send e-mail and text messages through an onboard GSM antenna, which connects to a satellite that in turn transmits to the ground. The main obstacle for the service, at the moment, is infrequency; aside from only being a part of a six-month test, not all flights on the A318 will have access. To this end a "No Mobile" light has been installed in the plane.

Airlines have traditionally banned any cellphone use on planes, for fear that it could confuse navigation systems or other electronics. The push for data communications on aircraft has increased dramatically throughout 2007 however, with airlines such as JetBlue and Virgin America resurrecting Wi-Fi following the death of Boeing's Connexion service.

The company that installed Air France's antenna, OnAir, plans to install more such hardware on several local airlines around the world by mid-2008. AeroMobile has installed cellular service for Australia's Qantas meanwhile, but the airline is only testing it on domestic flights.


By Electronista Staff

Post tools:

TAGS :  

gadgets, France, GSM, cellphones, airlines, Air France
toggle

Previous Comments

 
close
Photo
toggle

Network Headlines

toggle

Most Popular

Sponsor

Recent Reviews

MaxUpgrades MaxConnect for 2006-2008 Mac Pro

Nobody outside of Cupertino's privileged bunch knows the future of the Mac Pro line for sure. Despite Apple's reluctance to tell us wh ...

Brother HL-3170CDW LED Printer

We've mentioned before that we are far from a paperless society. For now, at least, there are tasks that require a piece of paper for ...

HTC One

It is hard to overstate just how critically important the HTC One is to the Taiwanese company’s fortunes. Despite its alarming decline ...

Sponsor

 
toggle

Popular News