Fergie's Tech Blog

FCC Auctions In-Flight Net

Via Red Herring.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission began auctioning off two licenses Wednesday that will allow companies to provide in-flight Internet service aboard airplanes.

Nine companies have qualified to bid for the frequencies, including Verizon Airfone, JetBlue’s LiveTV, and AirCell. The FCC announced plans in January to auction spectrum in the 800-megahertz (MHz) band for commercial air-to-ground telecommunications services.

Once the FCC approves the two winners, they can start building a service that will enable users to start surfing the web, exchange email, or make phone calls using VoIP technology.

posted by Fergie @ 5/10/2006 09:43:00 AM