Lufthansa's trial of Boeing‘s Connexion in-flight broadband service has moved one step closer with the announcement that the German Government has licenced the frequencies to be used.
The trial, aboard a single modified Lufthansa B747, will start in January 2003 and will offer passengers Internet access and e-mail on the company's Frankfurt-Washington DC route. If the trial is successful, a full roll-out to other Lufthansa aircraft is planned for 2004.
Lufthansa will offer passengers both wireless LAN and RJ-45 Ethernet connections, which will be available in all three classes.
"With 380 seats, this is comparable with running a network in a mid-size company," says Carson. This is in contrast with British Airways' Connexions trial that will only be available to premium class passengers.
Extensive customer feedback will be gathered during the trial with a view to fine-tuning the system and deciding on the final charging structure.
Source: Flight Daily News
