Delta to Offer Wi-Fi for all Domestic Flights from this Fall
Delta announced that all of its domestic carrier will be provided wi-fi service from this fall. They will deploy Aircell GOGO service which costs users $9.95 on flights of three hours or less, and $12.95 on flights of more than three hours. 92 EVDO cell sites aimed upward, designed to provide 3.1Mbps connectivity to each Gogo enabled plane.
Gogo will be offered initially on Delta’s fleet of 133 MD88/90 aircraft and will rapidly expand to the remaining domestic fleet of more than 200 Boeing 737, 757 and 767-300 aircraft throughout the first half of 2009. The airline expects to have more than 330 aircraft complete by summer 2009.
Jack Blumenstein, President and CEO, Aircell said that the advent of Air-To-Ground (ATG) technology has made broadband connectivity in the cabin economically viable for the first time for commercial airlines. Additionally, this is a very cost-effective in-flight broadband technology available because the Aircell system is extremely light and requires minimum space.
Flyers with Wi-Fi-ready devices will be able to access the Internet, corporate VPNs and their e-mail directories, as well as instant messaging and SMS texting services. Voice services won’t be supported, keeping in mind with federal rules prohibiting in-flight phone calls.
Source: Broadband
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