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Business Air News Bulletin
Business Air News Bulletin

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ACC Columbia Jet Service

Press Release

Issued by ACC Columbia Jet Service.

December 16, 2009

Boundless: ACC COLUMBIA Jet Service GmbH offers use of mobile phones above the clouds

The rising number of air activity particularly in the business aviation demands a modern solution in communication: Business travellers are rarely willing to miss the convenience to be reachable by their own mobile phone and using the internet while on the plane. Up to now, using the phone aboard of an aircraft has been possible, but laborious and expensive. However, this is going to change: The aircraft maintenance organization ACC COLUMBIA Jet Service GmbH located in Cologne and Hanover has joined forces with the service provider OnAir and equipment supplier Airbus KID-Systeme to offer its customers the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) on Board system.

In opposition to the mainly used, built in sat phones the GSM-Technology allows passengers to use their own mobile phones during the flight. The advantages are obvious: The passengers can be reached on their own mobile phones during the flight and use their own contacts lists. Furthermore, the billing is carried out by passenger's service provider and the costs remain within a set frame. Old Satcom systems required intensive studying of the operation manual, while GSM on Board enables you to use your own regular mobile phone without further preparation.

How does the technique work? By using a locally confined mobile network cell, the so called Picocell, passengers can log on the mobile network by the provider OnAir. Due to the small distance to the Picocell, only a very low power output is needed, therefore interferences with the electronic devices aboard are prevented.

ACC COLUMBIA Jet Service GmbH is currently in the certification phase of the GSM on Board System for a Challenger CL600-2B16. As soon as there are customer requests, new aircraft models can be equipped with the GSM on Board from 2010. „OnAir and KID have equipped several airlines with the GSM on Board System", says Stefan Drenkelfuss, Chief of the Office of Airworthiness at ACC COLUMBIA. „There is going to be a great demand for this technique in the upcoming years, especially in the field of business aviation. Therefore we are very happy to have these great partners on our side. "