In-Flight Internet Could Have Mobile Messaging Component
by Russell Shaw
Earlier today, in-flight telecommunications service provider AirCell announced a deal with American Airlines that would enable transcontinental passengers on Boeing 767s to email and surf the Web.
“We understand that broadband connectivity is important to our business customers and others who want to use their PDAs and laptops for real-time, in-flight broadband communications,” said Dan Garton, executive vice president of marketing at American Airlines, in a statement.
Hey, you can bet that if this becomes popular, American will deploy in-flight Internet to more of their schedules, and fleet.
There’s a mobile messaging angle to this story. If you have wireless broadband- airborne or not- you’ll generally have enough bandwidth for PDA and laptop-based mobile messaging. Open AIM on an AirCell connected laptop? SMS through there?
And what happens when teenagers in flight figure out a way to SMS from 35,000 feet? “Hey we are over Rockies, will email you pix, see ya 4 at SFO, XoXo.”
Uh, you get the idea.
Because this AirCell service is likely to be experimental, I presume that mobile messaging, VoIP, and other services beyond simple web browsing and email will be prohibited in the subscriber Terms of Service. And the thus-far-unspecified, but likely high cost of inflight Internet may act as somewhat of an inhibitor on half the plane using services that in-flight Internet could support.
All this is not necessarily bad, mind you. But if the whole plane is filled with TOS-violating texters?
