RE: How do I log on while in flight?

["Marc Pierrat" <marc () sunchar com>]

Inmarsat has recently introduced a new service called Swift64.

http://www.via-inmarsat.org/swift64_solutions.cfm

This is a bit more sophisticated than todays Airfone:
www.airfone.com

Inmarsat has many products for video over satellite; I believe some of the hazy CNN video streams you get from 
Afganistan use one of those Inmarsat small briefcase units.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-nanog () merit edu [mailto:owner-nanog () merit edu]On Behalf Of
> Scott Weeks
> Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002 5:01 PM
> To: Leigh Anne Chisholm
> Cc: nanog () merit edu
> Subject: RE: How do I log on while in flight?
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I was mainly thinking of satellite systems, but failed to remember the
> latency problems associated with them so the videoconferencing example
> wouldn't work. (not enough coffee today... :)  So for latency tolerent
> apps does satellite work well when traveling at air speeds?  If the
> footprint doesn't cover the entire area traveled how well does hand off
> from one 'cell' to another work?  What do the big boys like the president
> and corporate execs use?
>
> Also, that the cellular network could crash if cell phones are used at
> altitude seems like a big security hole to me.
>
> scott
>
>
> On Thu, 27 Jun 2002, Leigh Anne Chisholm wrote:
>
> : The FCC prohibits communication using a cellular telephone while in an
> : aircraft in US airspace.  In Canada, I don't believe there is such a
> : regulation.
> :
> : >From doing research on this topic earlier this year, I came across news
> : articles that say that several aircraft manufacturers have 
> tested the use of
> : cellular telephones on aircraft systems and found no effects 
> whatsoever.  So
> : why the FCC ruling?
> :
> : Likely it's because of the design of the cellular network - 
> which from what I
> : understand, is far more dense in the US than it is in Canada 
> (which might be
> : why the CRTC doesn't have such a prohibition).  The problem is 
> what happens
> : when a cellular device is based above the cellular system 
> antennae - there is
> : an ability to connect to multiple systems simultaneously, and 
> that's something
> : the system wasn't designed to see happen.  Additionally, 
> there's the hand-off
> : factor, of the negotiation process of what happens when you 
> leave the range of
> : one cellular tower and enter the range of another.  In an aircraft, that
> : happens at a rate greater than would be if the cellular phone 
> were used in a
> : car - so again, there's a problem there.  The Airphone system found on
> : commercial aircraft was designed to overcome these limitations 
> - which is why
> : they CAN be used onboard commercial aircraft systems.
> :
> : So, besides it being illegal, you run the risk of taking down 
> your service
> : provider's cellular network - and from what I've heard, this 
> doesn't make them
> : very happy.
> :
> : In summary - don't do it.
> :
> :
> :   -- Leigh Anne Chisholm
> :      Network Engineer
> :      Applied Design Networks
> :
> :
> : > -----Original Message-----
> : > From: owner-nanog () merit edu [mailto:owner-nanog () merit edu]On Behalf Of
> : > Scott Weeks
> : > Sent: Thursday, June 27, 2002 2:11 PM
> : > To: nanog () merit edu
> : > Subject: How do I log on while in flight?
> : >
> : > I was wondering if any of y'all could give me pointers to 
> services I could
> : > use to log into a network during flight on a private 
> airplane. For example
> : > a person is in flight cross-country and needs to do a videoconference,
> : > send email from his network to interested parties, or any of 
> the normal
> : > things we do from the ground.  Is this possible or would it 
> interfere with
> : > the plane's other systems?
> : >
> : > scott
> :
> :