Logging
On While Traveling
In-Transit Technology for Surfing the Web
by Steve O. Poleston
The capability of connecting
to the World Wide Web without wires has revolutionized
the way we work. Since wireless internet’s inception
half a decade ago, thousands of wireless internet access
hotspots have popped up worldwide, providing ample opportunities
to log-on from coffee shops, hotel rooms, and airports
almost anywhere in the world. With advancing technology,
we should soon be able to check/send emails, make conference
calls, or chat live via video on an overseas flight,
a transnational train, a cruise line, or even a cross-country
road trip. This new, in-transit connection is a swiftly
growing commodity—and for good reason: those precious
hours en route need not be spent idly; instead, confirm
a meeting with a client via email, download a new mp3
playlist for the trip, or make dinner reservations before
you land. The how’s and what’s of staying
connected are impressive to say the least, but whether
or not this budding market proves to be a profitable
one has also become a concern.
AIRPLANES
In 2004, Lufthansa began a highly advertised
venture to become the first commercial airline to provide
a wireless internet connection in the air. This technology
was made possible by Connexion, a subsidiary of Boeing,
one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of commercial
aircraft. Right on Lufthansa’s heels were British
Airways, Japan Airlines, and Scandinavian Airlines Systems—all
upgrading their planes using the system implemented
by Connexion in 2005. The service cost: $9.95 for 30
minutes plus $0.25 per minute after that, or $29.95
for unlimited access throughout the flight. In addition
to catering to its business clientele, Boeing was banking
on boredom; they figured they had the ideal captive,
antsy audience. Based on passenger response, it was
a hit; customers who used in-transit wireless were very
fond of it and found it incredibly useful. Businesspeople
wholeheartedly agreed that it was an asset. Unfortunately
for Boeing, the numbers of customers who actually purchased
the service (businesspeople make up a smaller percentage
of annual customers than vacationers) were less than
stellar. On August 17, 2006, Connexion by Boeing announced
that it would cease to provide service, by means of
an orderly phase out by year’s end. An official
reason given for shutting down: “The global market
for the service has not developed satisfactorily.”
Could this mean the end of all wireless communication
onboard planes? Fear not—Boeing’s competitor,
Airbus, is developing a similar system through mobile
communications provider OnAir. According to Airbus,
a trial system has been installed on all Singapore Airlines
Airbus models to be fully functional in early 2007.
Additionally, Airbus has revealed that their latest,
the Airbus 380 model, will debut amidst the QANTAS fleet
in Australia later this year, and will have a newer
operating system installed enabling GSM phone service
and PDA email/text messaging, in addition to wireless
internet for laptops. The airline industry, which was
once the frontrunner in mobile communications innovation,
seems to have taken a few steps backward. Then again,
the industry has always been in a state of flux, so
who’s to say they won’t bounce back and surprise
us with a cool, new wireless convenience?
How It Works
Wireless service in the air is established through
a combination of wired, wireless, and satellite technologies.
The connection relays between your computer and an
in-plane bank of servers, which authenticate users
and make sure that the fee has been paid. The servers
then connect to satellites orbiting the equator, which
bounce the connection signal back to the plane, without
disrupting either the plane’s sensitive equipment
or anything on Earth beneath the plane. Interesting
side-note: earlier versions of this system were weaker
than today’s—the satellite signals coming
from the equator would reach planes provided they
stayed on or below the longitudinal line at Reykjavik,
Iceland. While this might sound reasonable, many airplanes
en route to Europe and Asia from America fly over
the Arctic Circle to cut down travel time, resulting
in potentially serious service interruption for customers
at work during the flight. Now, both the number of
satellites and the strength of signal have increased.
The technology is similar to the relaying system found
in your bank’s ATM. Airbus further enhanced the
system in their new Airbus 380 model by installing
an antenna that runs the entire length of the plane’s
ceiling. This new hardware uses what’s called
a pico-cell, or an on-board base station, dedicated
solely to mobile signals without interfering with
the plane’s navigational instruments.
TRAINS
An early foray into high-speed mobile
internet on trains was made by France’s TGV in
November 2003. The system, using technology by service
provider Clic, not only grants a wireless internet
connection for laptops—news clips, games, tourist
information, and train schedules are also available
for download at your leisure. Forgot your notebook
PC at home? TGV rents them for the duration of your
train ride for 8 Euro. Following this, Canadian rail
company VIA Rail became the first transcontinental
train in the Americas to outfit their trains with
WiFi (technically Wireless Fidelity, in reference
to the invisible waves the connection is carried on),
offering full service on their entire fleet in 2006.
The service costs $8.95 (Canadian) for 24 hours of
use, $3.99 for 15 minutes, or $46 for an unlimited
monthly pass. In what seems to be a trend among mobile
communications coverage, train systems across the
world have jumped at the opportunity to also provide
wireless internet onboard their trains. By 2008, 500
Chinese transnational express train lines will have
wireless internet access, in addition to other technologic
perks; by the end of 2006, more than 100 Chinese trains
already had WiFi installed. This past December, Israeli
rail stations were equipped with a wireless connection
system and were in talks of expanding service to their
train cars. In the United States, the Bay Area Rapid
Transit (BART) and Amtrak trains in Northern California
have been testing a system since July of 2006 that
would provide free access to the internet in one car
of every commuter train traveling from San Jose to
Auburn. Amtrak later ran similar trials in its Acela
Regional line in the Northeast, and the Hiawathas
in the Midwest. If these rail companies see it as
feasible, a contract can be drawn up and service installed
on the full fleet by mid-year.
How It Works
Amtrak’s system links the train to track-side
wireless base stations (built alongside pre-existing
radio towers) located every few miles along the rail.
Some trains, including TGV in France, have an onboard
server and operate much in the same way as an airplane’s
network does. Most, however, run on a simple satellite
system, like Thalys, a Belgian-French rail company
and most other European lines.
Continued
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