Telenor Satellite Services is in the final stages of
testing an in-flight e-mail, web browsing and file-transfer
service.
Based on Inmarsat's Swift64 technology, the service runs over an
MPDS (mobile packet data service) link and is much more suited to
in-flight e-mail and internet services than Telenor's existing
Swift ISDN service, said Bernt Fanghol, director of program
management for Telenor's aeronautical business.
"ISDN is a fixed 64Kbps link that has been used for video
conferencing and high-speed data transfers. MPDS will be much more
effective [for internet services] because it's packet based, and
you pay for the kilobits you use, not for minutes," he added.
Fanghol acknowledged that the MPDS service, at 15Kbps to 20Kbps,
is slower than ISDN, but for burst-oriented services such as e-mail
it will be more economical.
Target customers are commercial airlines, government air
services and private business jets.
The service, now in the final stages of beta testing, will not
be launched commercially until Telenor, hardware supplier EMS
Technologies and Inmarsat feel certain that it is completely ready,
although Telenor spokesman Tom Surface predicted that the launch is
likely to be by the third quarter of this year.
Gillian Law writes for ID News Service