1 post tagged “lws”
I was browsing through my Flickr collection and found an old (2006) picture of myself flying to Shanghai while surfing the web wirelessly over the Pacific. When will those good old days return?
Here I am using ANA's wireless internet access on my flight from New York to Tokyo. The only problem is that there are no power outlets in basic economy. Unlimited access was just $20 (discounted from $30 because for some reason they felt connectivity might not be constant throughout the flight; I had no problems).
What's really sad is that this great Boeing "Connexion" service was discontinued worldwide at the end of 2006 according to announcement by Boeing on August 18, 2006. According to the press, Boeing invested $1billion on the system. It costs airlines $500,000 to install in each plane. The US Presidential airplane, "Air Force One", uses the same sytem.
Once again 14 hour international flights are dark, dreary, and disconnected. This reminds me of when Paul Allen's Ricochet wireless network shut down. About three years later, faster G3 services were introduced by Verizon wirelss. I suspect a similar technological recession is all we face.
A lot of people will be disappointed.
