Siemens, Airbus team up to develop onboard mobile phone service |
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Mon, 11 Jul 2005 15:05
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MUNICH: German engineering major Siemens AG is joining hands with Airbus Industries in a project to develop a technology that will afford mobile phone calls to be made from a moving aircraft without interfering with the communication system of the aircraft. Siemens in a statement Monday said the technology will be available in 2006.
The company said under an exclusive contract it has signed with Airbus, it will develop on the GSM mobile phone standard technology and Airbus will integrate the technology in its existing electronics systems. The planemaker will also sell the technology to airlines using its aircraft.
Mobile phones are not allowed on large commercial airlines fearing these will interfere with the plane's electronic systems. Airbus had carried out an in-flight trial last year for use of GSM phones.
Siemens said the signals from passengers' phones will be sent to a base station placed behind the ceiling panel of the plane, which will also allow for reception of wireless data from personal computers or handheld devices. The signals will then be routed via satellites to the ground. No terrestrial channels will be used for the communication, which will ensure that the signals do not interfere with the aircraft's communication system.
Airbus' U.S. rival Boeing has developed its Connexion unit, which offers on-board broadband Web access. Boeing also plans to vend cellphone services to airline passengers by next year.
Commenting on the tie-up with Airbus, Christoph Caselitz, president of Siemens' mobile networks division, said the partnership will ensure that the proposed "service is up and running soon and will open up new sources of revenue for the airlines".
The company did not disclose any financial terms of the partnership.
There is tremendous potential for such a service. An estimate by OnAir, an Airbus joint venture with SITA, the air transport industry IT specialist, says the market for on-board mobile calls will be worth $1.6 billion by 2009.
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