One of the greatest challenges of supplying internet over the skyways is the possibility of interference of the network with airline instruments (“turn your electronic equipment off now please…”) .  That may be a thing of the past shortly as scientists from Germany at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications have developed a mechanism of using ordinary LED’s (and a few additional components) to deliver a WLAN capable of 100 megabits per second.  Imagine it, the very same Christmas lights you adorn your home or Christmas tree can now power a wireless network with the range of over 90 square feet of coverage!  They achieve this goal by blinking the lights on and off rapidly with receivers that pick up the signals, much like the old warship communication methods in the late 19th and early 20th century.

This new technology called Visual Light Communications (VLC) can allow people to send HD quality video to your mobile device or computer with no loss of quality. The scientists insist that this is not intended to replace current wireless communications, but only to serve as an alternative to conventional data transmissions where radio transmissions can cause interference.

But here is the rub, since the communication involves transmitting data via light, if some object comes in between the light and the photo diode the data transfer is inhibited (clouds, snow,  rain?).  But imagine, being able to surf the internet or watch streaming videos on an airplane without any worries.

(*Editor comment: I am bringing my XBox 360 on the flight once this is live.  Gears of War 3 Online anyone?- LOL*)

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