IP: Bad sign for mobility

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

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Airports ground use of wireless

Safety, loss of income from pay phones cited

By BOB BREWIN
(February 19, 2001) Airport operators already control the airspace in their 
regions. Now they want the airwaves, too.

Baltimore/Washington International Airport last week became the latest 
airport to clamp down on the public wireless LAN industry as well as on 
cellular carriers that operate on airport turf. Their concern: wireless 
interference with other systems, but also a decline in pay-phone revenue 
that has prompted some airports to look for ways to seek income from 
wireless technology.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport earlier this year declared a 90-day 
moratorium on wireless installations, until it can develop a regulatory and 
business strategy. BWI hasn't issued a formal ban, but John Linz, acting 
director of the airport's IT division, said he would deny any requests for 
installation of wireless LANs or cellular phone microcell sites within the 
airport until BWI has a contract in place for a third-party provider.

BWI took the step to prevent interference with air traffic control and 
security systems, eliminate signal interference between wireless LANs and 
maximize revenue. According to Mike Beeler, assistant vice president of 
business development at MobileStar Network Corp. in Richardson, Texas, 
maximizing revenue from phone-toting travelers who no longer use pay phones 
is another airport concern.

"We had an installation in Atlanta [temporarily] shut down last year . . . 
and in a meeting [there, we] were told [the airport operators] are losing 
$7 million a year in revenue from pay phones due to cell phone use," Beeler 
said.

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http://www.computerworld.com/cwi/story/0,1199,NAV47_STO57817,00.html




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