An airline passenger telephone system-design development and early trials

The introduction of voice and data services via satellite will impact both cockpit and cabin. Aircrew will have improved voice for air traffic control and data facilities for automatic dependent surveillance and company traffic; passengers will have the telephone, telefax and telex services they already have in the office and increasingly in other mobile environments. Commercial assessment has been recognised to be as important as technical proving, and for this reason trials are to take place on two British Airways (BA) Boeing 747-200s. Passengers will be able to make calls into the national and international public telephone networks, without the intervention of cabin crew. The authors describe the design, development and early trial phases of a voice-only satellite communication system for airline use