News: Boeing's in-flight Net access set to fly
Connect to the Internet or read the duty-free gift catalog? Aircraft manufacturer Boeing is gearing up to answer that question for business travelers.

Connexion by Boeing, the company's wireless technology subsidiary, is in the midst of introducing its in-flight Internet service, which could lead to billions of dollars in additional annual revenue for the Bethesda, Md.-based manufacturer. Lufthansa German Airlines began trials earlier this year on a Frankfurt-U.S. flight. British Airways will begin to offer the service starting Feb. 18 on a London-New York (JFK) flight. Japan Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines System will begin service in 2004.

Eventually, Boeing hopes to retrofit 4,000 airplanes with servers, access points and antennas for in-flight Internet access, said Scott Carson, president of Connexion. In the future, planes will emerge from the factory with the necessary Internet-access equipment installed.

"We expect to sign one or more U.S. carriers by the end of the year," he said.

One hundred fifty planes will likely be retrofitted this year for Internet service, he added, while 800 more are expected to come online in 2004. Concurrently, Intel and others will begin to build and promote Wi-Fi connection areas in airports. Wi-Fi, also known as 802.11b, is a technology that allows the creation of wireless networks with a radius of around 300 feet.

To date, companies have struggled to make money off of providing wireless Internet service, but Boeing enjoys an advantage competitors haven't had: a captive, antsy audience.
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