Hot Topic: The In-flight Cell Phone Kerfuffle!

Heard about recent FCC rumor? Apparently, the FCC's Kevin Martin is reviewing the decision to allow in-flight usage of cell phones in the US! Read on. AirCell was the recent winner of a FCC bandwidth auction last year designating 3 MHz of the existing 4 MHz airborne telephony band (around 800 MHz) for in-flight usage. Although Aircell's offering was always a Wi-Fi solution, personal cell phone usage has always been a questionable quest. As one watcher put it, "The 4 MHz of spectrum is intended as an air-to-ground "backhaul" for wireless services accessed by multiple devices on a plane. Those services could include broadband Internet access and other data services as well as voice, the agency said last year." At issue here is not voice, but rather, cell phone use - supposedly the Holy Grail of passenger communication. While voice calling remains a social issue it is apparently a technical issue as well. The specter of cell phone interference, both on the plane and to the ground, remains. Here are a few thoughts about the flap we jotted down and the answers we dug up.

1. Presently it is only rumored that the FCC will ban in-flight cell phone telephony. The official FCC NPRM hasn't been issued.
2. There is a large demand for voice in Biz/Gen Aviation. This service demand is being filled by Iridium, as lost NATS services will need a backfill. Voice is hugely desired in business aviation as evidenced by the booming business selling voice systems in that market in recent years, however, if the cell phone ban is of a technical nature as a result of cell tower interference, the private market will have to legally look elsewhere beyond cell phone solutions. It should be noted that Wi-Fi solutions in bizjet aviation are leading the way. This may be one market to watch,
3. The frequency band that supports Blackberrys is not approved for use on aircraft but could be part of a picocell offering at a later date with FCC/FAA approval. The key concept to understand here is cellular-based vs. Wi-Fi-based Blackberrys/Treo's/etc. With Wi-Fi service, people with the new generation of Wi-Fi-enabled Blackberries can do e-mail/Internet with those devices right from the get-go, and those devices are expected to be widely available by the time AirCell launches early next year. People with the current generation (cellular-based) Blackberry will not be able to use them because devices using cellular frequencies are to be banned.
4. There will be no cell phone picocell on the AirCell offering, at least not initially... only WAP at 802.11B and G. Only Wi-Fi service, in the near-term, is planned. While we saw picocells on the AirCell demo last year, we understand they will not be part of the initial service.
5. The onboard wireless service will support Wi-Fi devices such as laptops and Smartphones. There is a question about personal Skype (VOIP) devices. VOIP is not in the initial offering, however if it becomes available, it will be in 2nd or 3rd generation offerings. Whether or not to allow it will be an airline decision. There is the ability to block those services if that's what the airline wants to do.
6. Europe to US and intra-Europe service providers will be offering voice (and data) via OnAir and AeroMobile systems, using passenger carried GSM cell phones, however, the two aforementioned service providers will be using Inmarsat (L-Band) as their carrier frequency to and from the plane. The Inmarsat services are expected to debut at, or around, $2 - $3 per minute. AirCell charges for their data service have not been established at this time, but they have said that they expect it to be in the neighborhood of what you pay for Wi-Fi services on the ground - perhaps plus a small premium to reflect the fact that it's being done at FL350 and Mach .85. One note - if the US ban on cellular phones is decreed, OnAir and AeroMobile will have to turn off their picocell-based GSM service in domestic airspace (remember the GSM/cell tower issue).
7. One recent online USA Today poll noted that over 60% of passengers recently polled did not want voice telephony in planes...for a number of reasons. This is a social issue and it would be wise to monitor European activity on this matter.
8. AirCell never had voice telephony as part of it's initial business plan. They will offer a pay-as-you-go and/or an all-you-can-eat service plan for data, either thru themselves or via the airlines. Billing will be by credit card or phone bill other alliances with organizations such as WISP's. Service and pricing-wise, AirCell is looking to offer a number of easy log-on and billing options.

(Ed. Note: BTW, the use of 1 MHz acquired by LiveTV in this band has never been disclosed!)

Here are a couple of good links on this subject.

• http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/telecom/2007-03-21-fcc-usat_N.htm
• http://www.wifinetnews.com

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