Air VoIP or Not?

American Airlines kicks off mobile broadband service in its larger jets and VoIP won't be allowed, says the carrier. However, that didn't stop some reporters from trying Skype on a demo flight.

Aircell's Gogo service is currently offered on American's Boeing 767 fleet making non-stop flights of more than three hours between the East and West Coasts. It will cost $12.95 per flight.  Delta says it will turn up Gogo on its entire U.S. fleet.

Technically, Gogo is a WiFi hotspot using a glorified CDMA EVDO broadband network that goes active after the aircraft reaches 10,000 feet. However, conducting VoIP calls on an airplane in flight has technical and social challenges involved. Technical challenges include maintaining a broadband connection without dropouts while flying at over 500 mph; ad hoc tests by a Dallas Morning News reporter indicate that a Skype voice call works OK with some voice connection dropouts, but he couldn't get a Skype video call going. (Reporters on a demo flight have been able to blog and download podcasts without breaking a sweat).

From a technical standpoint, Aircell could conceivably filter Skype and SIP applications down the road; while not trivial, Skype can be filtered with any number of solutions these days.

Airlines are more worried about the social aspects involved in permitting voice calls of any type within the cabin. The Federal Communications Commission and other agencies have quashed the idea of in-flight voice cell phone service due in part to massive outcry on the "nuisance" of jabbering passengers. The Dallas Morning News reporter might want to be more careful on future flights.

For more:
- American Airlines launches ‘GoGo' mobile broadband service
- Dallas Morning News reporter bootlegs a Skype call on GoGo

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