singapore airlines

Connexion by Boeing, RIP

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 20:01:35 -0400

How the mighty have fallen. Last week Boeing announced it was shutting down its Connexion by Boeing broadband-in-the-air program and was exiting the high-speed broadband communications connectivity market. Boeing said it would work with its customers to facilitate an orderly phase out of the Connexion by Boeing service. Those who used the service liked it. Trouble is, there weren't enough of them.

Boeing said it would take a $320 million charge, writing down the assets and paying termination fees to the customers. All Nippon Airlines, Japan Airlines, SAS, Singapore Airlines, and Lufthansa are among the airlines featuring the service. What should worry analysts who thought broadband in the sky was a good idea is not the fact that Boeing had been shopping the service for a while, but rather, that there were no takers.

Jim McNerney, Boeing's chairman, president, and CEO, said, "Over the last six years, we have invested substantial time, resources and technology in Connexion by Boeing. Regrettably, the market for this service has not materialized as had been expected. We believe this decision best balances the long-term interests of all parties with a stake in Connexion by Boeing".

For more on Boeing's decision:
-see this Boeing press release
-as well as Om Malik's comments

United Airlines to offer in-flight WiFi

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 20:01:39 -0400

United Airlines said it would begin to offer in-flight WiFi service to its passengers. The service will begin next year. Early last week United and Verizon demonstrated wireless data could be transmitted from the air to the ground with no disruption to the plane's navigation systems. Two days later, the FAA gave the two companies permission to start installing the equipment in planes. The initial FAA approval is only for the same planes (B757-200) in which last week's test was conducted. The system will have to be tested in each of the models in United's flleet before getting FAA approval. The service is limited to US airspace.

The FCC is yet to auction off licenses for using frequencies necessary to transmit data between airplanes and the ground. Although Verizon is already using the frequencies for its seatback telephones, the company does not have broadband authorization, so United must wait for auction, expetced sometime in late fall or early winter. Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, using Connexion by Boeing, are already offering WiFi connection to their passengers. Connexion, however, uses a different technology than Verizon, relying on satellites to connect to the Internet.

For more on United's WiFi plans:
- see Avery Johnson's Wall Street Journal report (sub. req.)