Well lots of planes already have phones (normally located in the middle of three seats) as well as an ethernet connection, so sadly VOIP noise wouldn't be new... hopefully cheaper than what is provided now though.
@Tony Rayo: smoke a lot of crack? Ethernet connections on planes? Not on the last... three dozen planes I've been on in the past six months. People chatting up storms on Airfones? Hah! Surely you jest, good sir! At $3-5 per minute (not hour, mind you, minute, as in 60 seconds), no one ever uses those things, except to call SkyMall. Either way, I'm sure with Verizon working on getting cellphones in the air forthwith, VoIP will quite likely be blocked on this service- at least as a way for the FAA to entice them.
I, for one, am happy. The last time this whole internet-on-planes business was tried it was by Boeing, and it didn't do so hot. The difference here, as I understand it, is that it's entirely ground-to-air as opposed to satellite and radio-based. Much cheaper, and requires way less upfront capital.
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What is this 'Internet' you speak of?
The thing you are using right now! :)
You mean that series of tubes?
So you might not be able to (legally) talk on a cell phone in flight,but you can still bug the heck out of people by chatting with VoIP.
Well lots of planes already have phones (normally located in the middle of three seats) as well as an ethernet connection, so sadly VOIP noise wouldn't be new... hopefully cheaper than what is provided now though.
@Tony Rayo: smoke a lot of crack? Ethernet connections on planes? Not on the last... three dozen planes I've been on in the past six months. People chatting up storms on Airfones? Hah! Surely you jest, good sir! At $3-5 per minute (not hour, mind you, minute, as in 60 seconds), no one ever uses those things, except to call SkyMall. Either way, I'm sure with Verizon working on getting cellphones in the air forthwith, VoIP will quite likely be blocked on this service- at least as a way for the FAA to entice them.
I, for one, am happy. The last time this whole internet-on-planes business was tried it was by Boeing, and it didn't do so hot. The difference here, as I understand it, is that it's entirely ground-to-air as opposed to satellite and radio-based. Much cheaper, and requires way less upfront capital.