AT&T Drops Plan For High-Speed Airborne Datacom

AT&T abruptly canceled plans yesterday to operate a 4G air-to-ground (ATG) network that was to have launched service by the end of next year. In a statement, the company said it made the decision following last week’s announcement that it will acquire Mexico’s Iusacell. “After a thorough review of our investment portfolio, the company decided it will no longer pursue entry into the in-flight-connectivity industry,” AT&T said.

When announcing the ATG network in April, AT&T said it planned to use the global 4G LTE (long-term evolution) standard and spectrum the company already owned. However, it needed approval from the FCC for this specific spectrum use and still has a petition pending at the agency to do so.

Honeywell and AT&T at that same time announced an agreement for Honeywell to be the exclusive onboard hardware supplier. Following AT&T’s cancellation of its planned ATG network, Honeywell said it “remains committed to bringing the connected aircraft to operators and passengers through our JetWave, Aspire and SkyConnect hardware, associated connectivity product offerings and current service agreements.” Honeywell is also the exclusive reseller of Inmarsat’s GX Aviation airtime and hardware for business aviation, and this high-speed satcom is expected to begin service next year.

AT&T was one of the pioneers of airborne telecom with the Claircom service, which was shut down in September 2002.