AS-IP Tech Inc (IPTK)

[e-ore]

Another news item showing inflight wifi may not be what passengers expect. IPTK has the answer for airline passengers who don't want to stream video.

"Although demand for an Internet connection is rising when it comes to onboard entertainment, current bandwidth is not yet sufficient to enable all passengers to stream content simultaneously. “While we expect connectivity to increase further and prices to drop in the next three to five years, bandwidth in the air will not be comparable to normal bandwidth on the ground even then,” said Michael Childers, Chief Consultant Content and Media Services at Lufthansa Systems. “That’s why providing airlines with a content offering stored on local servers on board the aircraft and streamed via a local WiFi network is a reliable and sustainable option that can also be combined with future Internet services. Our wireless BoardConnect in-flight entertainment (IFE) solution enables us to offer our customers exactly that.”

So they seem to be promising "at home" service but that's apparently not going to happen for everyone on board. For nothing or next to nothing passengers could do just about anything online like:
"What we developed is our own Bluetooth characteristic optimised for aircraft networks and satellites. The justification was all our communications and all modern communication platforms are short burst data, including Email, SMS, IM, Google, Twitter, Banking, News, Booking, Billing, Weather and the back end of all Social Networks."

The problem seems to be that airlines need customers to pay big bucks for wifi service since the airlines need to recoup their huge investment.

Panasonic Avionics: “jury’s still out” on profitability of in-flight connectivity
“Prices are falling rapidly, but if you are a service provider like ourselves, you’ve got to position yourself so that you make a penny or two on every megabit you deliver,” he said. “Otherwise, the business is not sustainable. That is the biggest challenge in our marketplace today. Growth: not a problem. Profitability: a real problem.”

“Business is booming but no one is making money,” said Claude Rousseau, research director at Northern Sky Research, adding that inflight connectivity providers have a number of challenges to turning a profit that have yet to be worked out.

“It’s very capital intensive and the take rates are still too low. We see that the price for connectivity hasn’t moved much, except when it’s free, but then if it’s given for free somebody has to pay for it. In the end if it’s not the passenger, it will be the airline or the service provider, and in that latter case the service provider has a hard time recouping the money,” he said."
spacenews.com/panasonic-avionics-jurys-still-out-on-profitability-of-in-flight-connectivity/

IPTK's answer:
Here are the Top 5 reasons why Bluetooth is better than Wi-Fi for inflight connectivity

Cheaper Data
If you’ve heard of broadband then you may know that it costs a lot of money to access it in an aircraft. Bluetooth is great because it doesn’t need broadband. In fact, it has its own ‘band’ that is more efficient and perfectly suited for today’s short burst data such as audio streaming, instant messaging, emailing and photo exchange. The quick, compact and precise nature of this method means data costs for communications can be reduced by up to 98% when compared to inflight Wi-Fi.

Less Hardware
Bluetooth needs only one access point to service an entire aircraft, whereas Wi-Fi requires multiple access points that come at an exorbitant price in order to provide a reasonable service to all passengers. High-powered transmitters like Wi-Fi means complicated and expensive installation and certification costs; but a low-power technology like Bluetooth has no certification issues and can therefore cut avionics system costs by up to 95%.

Robust Security
Bluetooth’s security is unique not only for the way it switches channels, but as a closed network that when combined with encryption and proprietary protocols is more secure than open Wi-Fi as there is no external way to access it.

Longer Lasting Battery Life
The Bluetooth 4 version is known as Bluetooth Low Energy and comes as standard in all modern Apple and Android smartphones. Bluetooth Low Energy draws so little power that it can run off a watch battery for 12 months! Naturally, your phone battery will last a lot longer on Bluetooth than Wi-Fi.

Bluetooth Is Only Getting Better…
The latest Bluetooth 5 is set for imminent release in all new generation Apple and Android phones. This technology update will deliver quadruple the range, double the speed, and boost broadcast messaging capacity by 800%. Research suggests there will be more than 24 billion IoT devices on earth by 2020 as Bluetooth continues to evolve to meet our demands on the ground and in the sky.

The big mobile players like Apple continue to drive Bluetooth technology because they know it’s the new course of connectivity. If you’re contemplating connectivity or are concerned about the high costs of Wi-Fi, then you should be considering the benefits of Bluetooth because it may just save you thousands of dollars
http://blog.bizjetmobile.com/5-reasons-bluetooth-better-wi-fi-inflight/