Boeing has announced that it has received certification from the US
Federal Aviation Administration for its broadband satellite
service, Connexion by Boeing.
"We are extremely proud of the way the service has performed and
how groups across Boeing have pulled together to make this
certification process a company-wide success," said Timothy
Lemaster, certification program manager for Connexion by Boeing.
Connexion by Boeing provides high-speed access to Internet,
intranet, television, entertainment and e-mail. The company said
plans to run a service trial with German airline Lufthansa will
begin late this year.
The certification process took three months and was conducted
aboard Connexion One, a 737-400 model used for research. Boeing had
to prove that Connexion transmissions do not interfere with flight
operations in the air or on the ground.
The company said testing will continue over US territories and
waters under experimental licences granted by the Federal
Communications Commission in December.
In an industry first, the final test summary paperwork necessary
for certification was e-mailed to FAA officials in Los Angeles via
a satellite communication link from the Connexion One airplane
flying 35,000 feet above New Mexico. The document and supporting
material, totaling 800KBytes, were transmitted to FAA officials in
real time in less than 30 seconds.