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From: veeneman@mot.com (Dan Veeneman)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Questions About the GTE Airfone
Message-ID: <15082@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 27 Nov 90 18:33:31 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 854, Message 8 of 10


I just got back from a long weekend trip to Baltimore, and during a
delay due to "mechanical problems" I got a chance to peek at the GTE
Airfones that were built into the headrest of the center seats of each
row.  Inserting a credit card into a vertical slot released the phone,
which was tied to the headrest by a short (two or three foot) cord.
Sliding a credit card along the right edge of the handset would, after
a short time, give you the opportunity to place your call.  (I only
got a chance to observe, as the phone in my row was non-functional,
much to the disappointment of the guy next to me).

  Hopefully someone out there will have the answers to these questions:

1.  How is the credit card verified ?  Are they all stored on board
and downloaded after the airplane lands, or is it real-time ?

2.  What happens if everyone wanted to place a call at the same time?
On the jet I was on, that would be 56 phones in use at the same time.
Quite a multiplexer/transceiver, if that's how it's done.

3.  How is frequency assignment done for numerous planes in the same
local area (i.e. 20 planes backed up, waiting for takeoff at O'Hare)?

4.  Has anyone tried a ringback or number announcement from the phone
?  I know the phones aren't capable of actually receiving a call or
ringing, but it would be interesting to see what happens.

5.  Is there a nationwide cellular-like network for these phones, i.e.
the ground station hands off the call(s) to the next station when the
plane leaves the service area ?

Any further information would be appreciated.


Dan      veeneman@Mot.Com