QCOM and LOR - Cyberstar! - internet in the sky with Globalstar and QCOM CDMA. Content from CNBC and CNN to start, eventually movies on demand, etc. Trade stocks in the air by next year!
LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK, and SAN DIEGO, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- In-Flight Network LLC, a joint venture of News Corporation and Rockwell Collins, today announced a long-term strategic development with Globalstar (Nasdaq: GSTRF - news) and a development agreement with QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM - news) which will enable In Flight Network (IFN) to provide low-cost broadband Internet and e-mail services to existing commercial airline fleets by early next year. Two weeks ago, a prototype of the IFN system was flown and successfully operated over parts of North America, proving the functionality of the system.
Under the agreements, IFN, Globalstar and QUALCOMM will participate jointly in the development of a system that will provide broadband Internet access as well as e-mail, paging and voice-over-IP applications directly to passengers aboard aircraft in flight. Broadband Internet data and entertainment will be transmitted directly to aircraft via geostationary satellites, with the return link carried over the worldwide Globalstar satellite network. In addition, the Globalstar satellite network will serve as an independent two-way channel for Internet access, e-mail, downloading of data and other applications.
With QUALCOMM-developed enhancements to its Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, the Globalstar data link will initially operate at speeds in excess of 200 kbps. When user demand increases and ground terminal capacity can absorb the greater data load, this data rate can be increased to over 800 kbps -- faster than most DSL or cable modems.
``IFN's service will enable affiliate airlines to deploy high-speed, full Internet access and e-mail services quickly. The new service will eliminate the need to wait for the build-out of new satellite networks or to invest in expensive new antennae. IFN looks forward to working with leading web sites and portals in extending Internet access to the frequent flyer community,'' said Jeffrey M. Wales, CEO of In Flight Network LLC and senior vice president, News Corporation.
IFN, Globalstar and Loral Space & Communications also intend to evaluate the use of additional Globalstar and Loral satellite-based products and services for incorporation into IFN prior to full-scale deployment in late 2001. |
