June 7, 2005 – UNITED Airlines and Verizon Airfone have won a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) go-ahead for the installation of WiFi wireless networking in the carrier’s aircraft. The first such approval to be granted to a US domestic commercial operator, the clearance is an important move towards official acceptance of passenger wireless devices in the cabin.

``Our research shows that connecting to the Internet is our customers’ preferred way of communicating with the ground,” says United marketing SVP Dennis Cary. “This certification is a crucial step towards bringing inflight wireless access to passengers.”

The approval was granted after the two companies successfully demonstrated that the use of IEEE 802.11b/g (WiFi) wireless technology in the cabin did not

affect the aircraft’s operation. Most laptop computers sold today are 802.11b/g-capable.

The companies worked for more than a year to obtain the approval, which currently applies to the United Boeing 757-200s used to test the technology. But the airline wants ultimately to extend the capability to its whole fleet in order to support an onboard Internet access service. The necessary hardware would comprise an additional avionics box, a wireless access point and a directional antenna.

United’s plans are subject to a major proviso, however. Verizon, which already supplies the airline with terrestrial-based voice and narrowband data messaging services, will soon go head-to-head with AirCell in the FCC auction for the air-to-ground (ATG) spectrum needed to deliver broadband services in US airspace. Industry observers believe that, as currently constituted, the Federal Communications Commission’s band plan and auction rules will effectively make it possible for only one company to offer broadband service, leaving the other without a position in the US domestic air transport marketplace.