Ask the expert: Benoît Debains

Question: How do in-flight communication services operate onboard aircraft?

Expert: Benoît Debains, CEO of OnAir

OnAir was created three years ago by SITA and Airbus. The formation of the company was 70% SITA and 30% Airbus. The thinking at the time was that these two companies could put together the product they have for passenger and cabin communication.

SITA was, at the time, working on mobile [phone technology] in the sky and the two companies combined to make OnAir. We have two lines of product; firstly all the applications for the GSM and GPRS which goes from mobile phone and blackberries and secondly we have the internet product which can be used for laptops or IFA screens.

Both products are currently in service. With the mobile in-flight technology the passenger can use his own phone in the aircraft in the same way he could on the ground.

He can make and receive phone calls on the usual number and be charged international tariff on the regular invoice. Technically we have a mini cellular network in the aircraft with an external link to the satellite.

The signals are then delivered back to the OnAir network where calls are completed on the ground. Onboard communications are automatically invoiced by the passenger's home mobile operator, as part of the usual bill.

The service should be a popular one - particularly amongst the people who have been using it. Our research shows that we have 19 passengers checking texts and emails on flights which last over three hours. People think mobile phones are about voice but there are many other applications on a mobile phone or blackberry.

These include SMS, accessing emails and internet services, none of which have any effect on the other passengers around. So far more than 10 airlines have adopted this service including Royal Jordanian, Jazeera Airways and Oman Air from the Middle East region.

Mobile OnAir has already flown to 44 cities in 21 countries - over 1600 legs and the service has been used by thousands of passengers across the world.

Figures show that over 100 text messages are exchanged on each flight, which on average lasts around three hours. To install the mobile system we basically put a physical system or collection of boxes on the aircraft.

The boxes are like small cell phone masts, which we install using a picocell which performs the function of a mobile phone tower. That can be done either when the aircraft is built, whereby Boeing or Airbus would install the system before delivering the planes.

Alternatively it can be done once the aircraft is in service. For example a system of retrofit is done on the 737s which is completed during the c-check - a low maintenance aircraft check that is done every two years.

On average it costs between US$300,000 and $400,000 to equip an aircraft with GSM.

In terms of internet services, it works through the same satellite link. It goes to our server in Seattle, where we have our office and then it goes through the web. What we are doing today is offering a low capability application which is through the suite 64 network.

We offer a broadband system which is already working well on the Qantas A380, where it's regularly used for webmail and web chat. We are the only company to provide the full internet service today and it's definitely something airlines want to provide for their passengers.

Applications can be installed on older or newer aircraft. The internet is cheaper and easier to install than the mobile phone system, costing less than $100,000.

For the OnAir system at the moment we are only fitting aircraft which have recently been delivered by the manufacturer. In the case of Qantas we completed the first installation in September.

The planes were delivered by Airbus to Qantas with the software already loaded onboard. Now the planes are coming off the production line with the systems loaded and ready for passengers to use. Once the GSM and internet systems are in service there may be modifications or improvements to be made.

In these cases new software can be uploaded by the aircraft's engineering team in certified procedure, it's actually an easy task once the original installations have been made.

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