Unrealistic emotional attachment to the THEORETICAL pricing models that mathematically support obscenely high margins is probably the primary inhibitor to wireless in-flight services. Just because you have a captive audience and a monopoly, that does not mean the pricing curves can be pushed out to obscene extremes. Make it CHEAP and the volume will follow; this is one of the biggest no-brainers in history and one of the best case studies to illustrate the absurdities of entrenched bureaucracies.

Airlines Will [Supposedly] Install Over 4,000 Picocells for Passenger GSM and Wi-Fi Services Between 2008 and 2011

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ — While passenger surveys continue to have a weak track record of predicting demand, both positively and negatively, the cost to supply wireless services to air travelers continues to fall. Airborne picocells have dropped in price along with their terrestrial counterparts, in spite of additional R&D investments in aeronautical systems to ensure that their logic and memory chips function properly at cruise altitudes. In turn, this has improved the economics, and reduced the weight requirements, of deploying passenger wireless systems on commercial airliners, according to a soon-to-be-released study from Freesky Research.

While many airlines will deploy either 802.11 or 3G picocells, a large number will not go fleet-wide over the next four years. “For all the reductions in equipment costs, airlines are still reluctant to invest in systems that they cannot amortize over at least five years of flying,” said David Gross, author of the report. “Well over half of the deployments will be on three aircraft families. Widebodies with over 10,000 cycles that fly highly profitable routes are still seen as questionable places for GSM and Wi- Fi installations. Additionally, CRJs remain a particular challenge, because there is strong reluctance by both large airlines and their regional partners to install a wireless system on a jet that could be flying under different colors in 2010.”

GSM picocells will roll out quickly on aircraft registered in European, Asian, and Middle Eastern countries, with text messaging remaining one of the most cost-effective connectivity services airlines can offer. Wi-Fi picocells have already made significant inroads with crew applications, particularly for updating approach charts and for accessing management networks while parked at the gate. However, some airlines will continue to use Wi-Fi for cabin surveillance and for Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) without deploying passenger systems.

The report, “Airborne Picocell Networks”, will be released in Feburary, and will contain detailed forecasts for wireless deployments by aircraft model, as well as analyses of major service providers and equipment vendors.

Source: Freesky Research LLC

Finally, we can make sure that all the little stray cattle … er precious little kiddies … are properly tagged, chipped, and geo-tracked, 24/7. Frankly, I don’t understand why people fear Huxley’s dystopia. Why not just barcode and chip them at birth, install the remote retinal transparent proxy input logger and move on with it? See? Don’t you feel so much safer, now? I know I do.

Dec 12, 2007 06:08 America/Los_Angeles
AT&T Offers Network Industry-First RFID and GPS-Based Solutions for K – 12 Education Segment

Company’s Managed Services Enable Educators to Increase Productivity, Improve Student Safety, Reduce Costs

The integration of RFID and MRM applications is especially beneficial when trying to ensure the safety of students when they’re on their way to and from school. Deploying RFID readers in addition to tracking devices on school buses enables educators to determine when students get on or off, as well as the location of buses when they’re en route.

The company’s RFID application works seamlessly with any 802.11 standards-based wireless local area network (LAN) infrastructure and offers precise, on-demand tracking. Wi-Fi-based RFID tags, placed on ID badges that can be secured to equipment, bracelets, shirt pockets or book bags, send a wireless signal to locate, monitor and report on assets, students and educators. Additional AT&T RFID benefits include:

— Asset tracking. Minimize theft of high-value equipment and assets,
including computers, projectors, laptop carts and lab equipment. Also,
because many of these assets are mobile, locating them can be difficult
in a large school building. Active RFID allows the teachers and staff
to easily locate these assets, saving time and optimizing inventory.
— Daily attendance tracking. Automate the tracking of average daily
attendance, as well as notify administrators when students are not in
school by importing information in the student-information databases.
— School-visitor tracking. Monitor the location of visitors and even
alert school administrators when visitors enter unauthorized areas.
— Disaster response. Provide the location of school staff in the event of
a man-made or natural emergency or disaster situation.

“In today’s world of K – 12 education, enhanced visibility regarding the location of students, teachers and valuable assets is crucial,” said Bill Hughes, principal analyst for wireless research group, In-Stat. “By introducing mobile technology, such as RFID and MRM, school districts can save time, eliminate unnecessary costs, reduce theft and unnecessary inventory and, most important, enhance student and teacher safety.”