02/06, 1:15pm
Qualcomm pushes for 300Gbps in-flight broadband
Mobile chip and network gear maker Qualcomm has now proposed an in-flight wireless network that would bring speeds as fast as 300Gbps. It would use spectrum in the 14GHz to 14.5GHz bands for this, and the so-called Next-Gen AG system would use about 150 towers located throughout the US. The network would use familiar airwave techniques to get ther, including a time division duplex communications mode and orthogonal multiplexing, which stitches together multiple signals into a coherent whole.
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11/29, 2:20pm
Gogo works with Inmarsat for Wi-Fi beyond US
Gogo took the first steps towards having a truly worldwide option for Internet access during airline flights. A deal with Inmarsat will see its Global Xpress satellite data used for international flights during those points when Gogo's country-based cellular coverage is no longer in range. It would potentially be faster than the land service at as much as 50Mbps; the EVDO link in the US stops at 3.1Mbps.
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09/16, 10:50am
Gogo ATG-4 Wi-Fi and Vision video due in 2012
Gogo has unrolled a major upgrade to its in-air Wi-Fi access for 2012. Starting with Virgin America, its ATG-4 spec Wi-Fi promises to quadruple the practical speed, enough to where HD video streaming is an option. It upgrades to the faster EVDO Revision B standard for its 3G and also has upgrades to improve the connection quality, such as two modems on the aircraft to reduce bottlenecks and a directional antenna to focus the signal.
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08/03, 10:30pm
Airline continues to expand in-flight connectivity
American Airlines has reasserted its commitment to expand its in-flight Wi-Fi program. After first announcing expansion plans in May, the company now promises to outfit its entire Boeing 767 fleet with Gogo Wi-Fi and a new 'Entertainment On Demand' system for streaming movies and TV shows.
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07/29, 9:55am
iPod touch comes in ahead of Android, BlackBerry
iPhones represent almost two-thirds of the mobile devices using Gogo's in-flight Wi-Fi service, the network provider says. The category notably excludes tablets and notebooks, which are classified as computers and require people to pay more for in-flight connections. In the mobile arena the iPod touch is in fact the second-place device, with a 20 percent share.
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07/14, 4:05pm
Gogo to launch in-air platform this fall
Gogo this week announced it will offer an in-flight multimedia platform rather than just offering in-flight Wi-Fi, as it has to date. Users will, through their own Wi-Fi-enabled devices, have the ability to access real-time travel information, destination content, news and information and exclusive shopping deals. All this will come from a web browser, and passengers will also have access to streaming videos, though how this will be delivered isn't known.
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06/27, 12:10pm
Enables access to 6,000 flights daily
Bingo has expanded its hotspot service to airlines. Through an arrangement with Gogo, in addition to 350,000 earth-based Wi-Fi hotspots, Boingo subscribers will now be able to sign in to Gogo using their Boingo information, and surf the Internet in-flight while on an airplane as well. The arrangement covers over 1,100 flights daily with nine air carriers.
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05/03, 10:25pm
American Airlines plans in-flight video streaming
American Airlines said Tuesday that it was testing a new streaming video service for its in-flight Wi-Fi. Rather than use movies stored on the plane, it would pipe movies and TV to users' own devices from an on-plane collection. Platforms weren't named but, given the airline's existing app experience, would likely cover at least Android devices such as the Xoom as well as iPads and iPhones.
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04/11, 9:05pm
JetBlue to get ViaSat in-flight Internet
JetBlue has quietly reached a deal with ViaSat to offer what should be part of the next generation of in-flight Internet access. The two made permanent a previous memorandum of understanding that would see ViaSat provide satellite access over the fast Ka-band on all its planes. The Ka-band is claimed to be fast enough to beat a land-based system like Gogo's and would allow for "streaming movies" even while dropping the price compared to talking to cell sites on the ground.
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03/10, 12:55pm
Boeing says GoGo Wi-Fi interferes in some tests
Boeing has found one of the few instances of Wi-Fi interfering with an airliner's equipment, tipsters said Thursday. The 737NG aircraft's Honeywell Phase 3 Display Units blank out when close to a strong Wi-Fi signal, including the GoGo in-flight Internet access system. FlightGlobal understood that Boeing had temporarily frozen GoGo installs on all its planes.
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12/23, 6:15pm
Canadian in-flight Wi-Fi delayed to
Canadians will get in-flight Wi-Fi access on national flights sometime in the middle of next year, which is a delay from late 2010, as originally intended. SkySurf Canada Communications has the license for in-flight data technology in Canada, and has been working with Air Canada on testing the in-air networking. Plans are moving forward on the venture, SkySurf's president Raed Almasri, SkySurf's president said.
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11/08, 10:40am
Google gives free Wi-Fi on AirTrain, Delta, Virgin
Google today restarted its free holiday Wi-Fi program with an approach that focuses on the flights. The new plan will give free Internet access on any AirTran, Delta or Virgin America domestic flight from November 20 through to January 2. The effort is promoted by the Chrome browser team in an attempt to drive use of the browser.
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06/28, 7:50am
Samsung to have Galaxy S on all US carriers
Samsung today launched a full attack on the US smartphone market by unveiling four versions of the Galaxy S. The Epic 4G for Sprint is the most unique and uses that carrier's WiMAX speeds much like the Evo 4G: it can share its connection as a Wi-Fi hotspot and brandishes a front-facing video camera for chat. A sliding QWERTY keyboard makes it unique among all the US launches.
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04/07, 2:50pm
Gogo gives frequent travelers Wi-Fi subscription
Gogo provided a first for in-flight Internet today by adding a monthly subscription plan to its lineup. Instead of paying per flight or for a 30-day pass, the $35 per month offer gives permanent, auto-renewing Internet access. It should work on all flights covered by Gogo and is potentially much less expensive for those who travel multiple times per month.
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03/16, 10:55pm
HTC HD2 for T-Mobile gets official launch date
Quickly following up a late leak, T-Mobile tonight confirmed the launch details of its version of the HTC HD2. The extra-large Windows Mobile smartphone will arrive in stores on March 24th and will cost $200 when subsidized by a two-year contract. Even More Plus plan subscribers can also pay the $450 unsubsidized price up front in return for lower rates.
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02/24, 5:30pm
Alaska Air to use Gogo Internet everywhere
Alaska Airlines today said it would bring Wi-Fi to all its flights. The service will on Gogo's 3G-to-Wi-Fi system and, like with other carriers, will vary in price depending on the device and duration of the flight. Notebooks will have access from $5 for red-eye flights and will scale up to $10 or $13 for regular flights under or over three hours long. Using a smartphone or other handheld device will cost $8 regardless of the length of the flight.
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12/16, 6:45pm
Delayed Continental Wi-Fi due spring
Continental Airlines today set out more concrete plans for its in-flight Wi-Fi service. Pushed back from its original January 2009 target, the service is now due to launch in spring aboard 21 Boeing 757 airliners. Most of these will be present on domestic flights, the transport service says.
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10/08, 6:00pm
United Wi-Fi starts with 13 planes
United Airlines this week began deploying Wi-Fi on some of its flights. The rollout will at first cover longer flights between California and New York and should have 13 Boeing 757 planes in United's fleet offering Internet access by mid-November. Much as with similar approaches from Virgin and other airlines, the new approach is based on Aircell's Gogo technology and shares a 3G cellular connection (typically EVDO Revision A) with the entire cabin over a Wi-Fi hotspot in the plane itself.
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07/23, 11:45am
US Airways go Gogo in 2010
US Airways on Thursday announced it has partnered with AirCell to bring that company's Gogo in-flight hotspot service into its airplanes by early in 2010. Via Gogo, fliers will be able to browse the Internet, chat via instant messaging programs and download e-mail on their Wi-Fi notebooks, smartphones and other portable hardware. The Airbus A321 will be the first aircraft to get the feature and will carry Wi-Fi on some of its domestic flights.
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05/20, 11:50am
Virgin WiFi on All Planes
Virgin America on Wednesday morning said it has become the first airline to offer Wi-Fi on all of its flights. The extension gives those flying to or from Boston, LA, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, DC the option of using most non-voice Internet features on any Wi-Fi equipped computer or handheld as soon as electronics are cleared for use on the plane. Virgin had originally started its access on just flights between New York and San Francisco.
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05/15, 7:25am
Wi-Fi access on planes
AirTran Airways in collaboration with Gogo has announced it will be the first airline to provide Wi-Fi access on all its airplanes. By registering with Gogo, users can purchase a session of internet time that enables them to use most non-voice Internet features on a given trip. Prices for the in-flight internet sessions are based on what type of device the user brings with them, and for how long they will be on the flight.
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01/14, 1:00pm
United in-flight Internet
United Airlines will bring in-flight Internet access to a portion of its planes later this year, according to an announcement. The company has specifically chosen AirCell's gogo service, which has already been attached to companies like Delta, American Airlines and Virgin America. Passengers will be able to connect via any Wi-Fi device, and access conventional Internet functions such as e-mail and web browsing, or more elaborate ones like VPN tunneling.
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10/03, 12:25pm
Delta to Filter Wi-Fi
Delta will filter the content on its in-flight Wi-Fi service, the airline said today. Although the company has previously been concerned about the ramifications of active censorship on its GoGo-based service and has intended to rely on attendants alone to screen out adult sites and other material that might make some passengers uncomfortable, it now says it will implement a content filter that automatically blocks certain sites before they reach cellphones, notebooks and other devices capable of a Wi-Fi link.
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08/20, 9:30am
AA Starts Gogo In-Air WiFi
American Airlines today started offering Gogo, its Aircell-run service for in-flight Internet access. The feature pipes a cellular Internet connection from the ground to a router onboard each plane, which in turn shares its access to all passengers through Wi-Fi. The service is platform-agnostic and provides access to both notebooks as well as handhelds, including explicit support for iPhones as well as certain BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices equipped with the short-range wireless format.
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03/11, 4:05pm
Gogo in-air Internet Soon
The first full in-flight Internet access since the end of Boeing's Connexion service is coming in the spring, according to a GigaOM report. Now titled gogo, the service developed by AirCell will allow browsing and other common Internet tasks over a modified version of a EVDO Revision A cellular connection (used by Sprint and Verizon) to supply a 3Mbps Internet link shared by the whole cabin through Wi-Fi. By compressing the data sent across the network, each user gets a connection closer to 2Mbps, gogo claims.
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