We reported not long ago on the shutdown of Boeing Connexion, Boeing’s in-flight internet service, and further mentioned Aircell and LiveTV’s bidding on Verizon Airfone’s vacated bandwidth to work on implementations of their own.
As WiFiNetNews reported on September 19th, Panasonic Avionics Corporation, may step in, using Boeing’s general approach to allow airlines who have deployed Connexion to make a transition. Panasonic wants commitments within sixty days from airlines for 500 planes to be equipped, with 150 committed now. The deadline is in order to not leave existing Connexion systems without service.
The system will be more compact than Boeing, not weighing 800 pounds, with more technical details available in their article. The target cost is to be comparable with terrestrial access, which is usually $10-15 per trip/day. The ability to do something quiet yet constructive in flight is worth the money to many people…assuming you have enough room to fully open your laptop.