AirCell promises affordable In-flight Wireless Broadband Internet by 2007

In a direct pitch against Boeing's Connexion service, which can cost over $1 million for installation, AirCell is planning a low-cost broadband connection for commercial airlines.

The AirCell Broadband System is unique in that its method of connectivity is via an air-to-ground link. Connexion by Boeing uses fuselage-mounted satellite antennas to beam your in-flight internet from the aircraft to a fixed satellite in outer space. These satellite connections are typically very expensive; AirCell currently offers in-flight phone service for business aviation at the rate of $1.99 per minute.

"If you look at what our demonstration program achieved technologically and consider the applications we'll enable for airlines and travelers, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. During the demonstration flights, it was exciting to watch people experience the system for the first time and hear them come up with more and more ways they could use it," stated Jack W. Blumenstein, AirCell Chairman and CEO.

Continue reading the full press release.

No official word on the speed, but the press release quotes one passenger as saying "The speed was DSL-like and e-mail and Internet surfing worked flawlessly." We would estimate 512kbps download speeds and 128kbps upload speeds for the AirCell Broadband System. Boeing's Connexions service advertises 5 Mpbs download speeds and 1 Mbps upload speeds, significantly faster - but at what cost?

A vice president from a domestic, low-cost airline noted, "We've always been intrigued by the concept of airborne wireless broadband, but the satellite-based systems just aren't viable for our fleet in North America." He continued: "What AirCell is doing with their system changes everything -- it provides the speed and capabilities you need at a cost that's very workable. This opens up a world of potential applications for internal airline operations as well as passengers."

¶ 9:39 AM