Wireless LANs for Airport and In-Flight Internet Access

Wireless LAN access will allow airline passengers to access information while in the airport or during their flight. Networking product vendors are developing products that work at longer ranges and deliver better performance. BlueTooth and Enhanced CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technologies are also being considered to provide Internet access to passengers within the flight. Aircell (www.aircell.com) has tested Bluetooth technology in an in-flight environment. The AirCell application has FCC approval, and it does not interfere with the signals from conventional ground-based cell sites. It will be another year or two before these new technologies are fully tested and widely used.