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In-Flight Internet Takes Off 空中上网服务起飞

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Travelers can now enjoy Internet access as they fly the skies  旅客如今可以在机上翱翔天际时，也同时享受到上网服务

According to official lore at Illinois-based Aircell, the company’s founder first sketched his own idea for an airplane telephone system on a napkin while sitting in a Texas barbecue restaurant in 1991.

根据美国伊利诺伊州「艾尔塞公司」的官方传言，公司创办人于一九九一年坐在德州一家烤肉店里时，在餐巾纸上首度把自己想出的机上电话系统的点子描绘出来。

In August, Aircell chief executive Jack Blumenstein sat in a terminal at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport, monitoring several American Airlines flights equipped not with in-flight telephones, but broadband Internet access. The company built the Wi-Fi systems for American, which recently launched Internet service onboard the carrier’s 15 Boeing 767-200 aircraft.

（译注：二００八年）八月间，「艾尔塞」执行长杰克．布鲁门斯坦坐在「肯尼迪机场」一处航空站中，监测着数架「美国航空」班机，而这些班机装设的并非机上电话，而是宽带上网。美航最近在其十五架波音七六七－二００型客机推出空中上网服务，而「艾尔塞公司」负责为美航打造Wi-Fi无线上网系统。

Paving the way  为未来铺路

The departure of the San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami-bound flights from New York marked a key milestone for Aircell, which opened its local facilities less than two years ago to build the technology for Wi-Fi on commercial planes and won an exclusive license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2006.

从纽约（译注：肯尼迪机场位于纽约）飞往旧金山、洛杉矶和迈阿密的班机记录了「艾尔塞」的重大里程碑，该公司在不到两年前启用当地的设施，以打造出商用客机的Wi-Fi无线上网科技，并在二００六年取得了「美国联邦通讯委员会」的独家授权。

“This is a very transformative step and in many ways mind-boggling,” Blumenstein said in a phone interview from JFK, where he was preparing to board one of the afternoon flights.

布鲁门斯坦在「肯尼迪机场」接受电话专访时表示，「这是一大改革，在很多层面来说都相当惊人。」他当时正准备登上下午起飞的班机。

While the skies are slowly opening to Internet connectivity, cell phone usage is still banned by the FCC. Airline executives also say that U.S. customers, unlike many of their European counterparts, want to keep airplanes a cell phone-free zone. Aircell’s Wi-Fi service blocks the use of Voice over Internet Protocol applications.

虽然空中上网服务已逐步缓慢地开放，但「美国联邦通讯委员会」却仍禁止机上使用手机。航空公司高层也表示，和欧洲客层不同的是，美国消费者希望维持机上成为不受手机干扰的领域。而「艾尔塞」的Wi-Fi无线上网服务会封锁住网络电话应用程序的使用。

Market research does indicate demand for web access, especially on longer flights. A January [2008] report by Forrester Research showed that 41 percent of passengers were interested in using the Internet during flights between two and four hours, with that percentage rising to 55 percent when the flight goes over four hours.

市场研究显示，外界对上网的需求的确存在，尤其是较长程的飞行更是如此。据「佛瑞斯特研究机构」[二００八年]一月发布的报告显示，航程介于两至四小时的航班中，有百分之四十一的乘客有兴趣上网，而航程为四小时以上的航班中，有兴趣上网的乘客百分比更是上扬至百分之五十五。

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lore [lor] n.（有关某一学科的）全部知识；传说 traditional knowledge and stories about a subject

sketch [skɛtʃ] v. 草拟；概略地叙述

carrier [ˋkærɪɚ] n. 从事运输业的人（或公司）

transformative [͵trænsˋfɔrmətɪv] adj. 变化的

mind-boggling [ˋmaɪndˋbɑg!ɪŋ] adj. 令人极为惊讶的 intellectually or emotionally overwhelming

Voice over Internet Protocol 网络电话(技术) technology that sends voice information over Internet connections in digital form

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Expanding the market  拓展市场

Aircell’s in-flight Wi-Fi service is called Gogo and costs $12.95 for flights over three hours. American Airlines has the system installed on just 15 flights for now, all of which fly coast-to-coast routes. Doug Backelin, the carrier’s manager of in-flight communications and technology, said the company [would] evaluate customer feedback over three to six months before deciding whether to expand Gogo across its domestic fleet.

「艾尔塞」的机上Wi-Fi无线上网服务名为Gogo，对于航程超过三小时的航班，收费为十二点九五美元。「美国航空公司」目前只在十五架班机上装设该系统，这些班机全都是飞越海岸之间的美国国内线。美航机上通讯与科技经理道格．贝克林表示，该公司[将]在三至六个月间评估消费者的回馈意见，以便进一步决定究竟是否该将Gogo服务推广到美航所有国内线班机上。

“It’s a turbulent time for the airlines, with oil prices such as they are,” Backelin said. “But we’ve been working on this for years …. even with the current price of oil, we think it’s going to be a very economically justifiable solution.”

「目前对航空公司来说，是相当变化不定的时期，因为油价的问题（译注：指油价时而高涨导致燃料等成本大增）」贝克林说道，「不过，本公司已经着手进行多年…即使以目前的油价来看，我们仍认为，空中上网服务将是非常具有经济效益、可行的解决方案。」

The Aircell system that turns airplanes into moving Wi-Fi hotspots weighs about 150 pounds, which Backelin said was “not extravagant.” Three antennas on the aircraft search for the best signal from 92 ground-based towers in the continental U.S. Aircell built about 10 of these towers and leases the rest. Meanwhile, back on the plane, passengers can access the wireless network with their laptops, BlackBerrys and personal data assistants.

能让飞机摇身一变为可移动的Wi-Fi无线上网热点的「艾尔塞」系统，重约一百五十磅，据贝克林所言，如此的规格「不算奢华」。飞机上加装的三根天线，会搜寻来自分布于美国大陆四十八州的九十二座地面基地台所发射出的最佳讯号来源。「艾尔塞」自行建造约十座基地台，其余均为向其他业者租用。在此同时，飞机上的乘客便能透过笔记本电脑、黑莓机和个人数字助理PDA来无线上网。

The future of in-flight Internet  空中上网的未来

Blumenstein said Aircell’s capabilities are evolving in tandem with developments in the cellular industry, which is now investing in fourth-generation (4G) networks that will allow speedier transmission of heavy data traffic. The next generation of networks is expected to spur growth in multimedia features on mobile phones, with consumers streaming video or playing graphics-intensive games on their handsets. For Gogo users, the advent of 4G networks could mean watching live HDTV in the air, Blumenstein said.

布鲁门斯坦表示，「艾尔塞」研发的进展与手机业的发展同时并进，手机业者目前正投资的第四代网络（4G），可加快高流量信息传输的速度。新一代网络预期将有助于刺激移动电话多媒体相关功能的成长，消费者会利用他们的手机来进行视讯串流或玩一些充斥大量图像的电玩游戏。布鲁门斯坦表示，对Gogo使用者来说，4G网络的问世，可能意味着未来机上乘客将可空中观赏实时的高画质电视节目。

We are riding that curve, and it’s one of the fastest technology curves the world has ever seen.

（译注：布鲁门斯坦说，）「我们正抢搭上这波新兴科技风潮，而这也是全球掀起速度最快的科技风潮之一。」

−by William Wong

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hotspot 【电脑】热点（在文件中一个可以提供超链接的位置）an area that is covered by a wireless network, making Internet access available

extravagant [ɪkˋstrævəgənt] adj. 奢侈的；浪费的; 过度的，过分的

continental U.S. 美国除阿拉斯加外位居美洲大陆的四十八个州 a term that refers to the 48 states located on the North America continent, excluding Alaska

antenna [ænˋtɛnə] n. 【无】【美】天线

tandem [ˋtændəm] n. 联合作业; 双人自行车

spur [spɝ] v. 激励；鼓舞

advent [ˋædvɛnt] n. 出现；到来

ride the curve 善加利用新兴科技的流行趋势 to take advantage of fast rise in demand for new technology as it becomes more and more popular

curve [kɝv] n.  (趋势)曲线 a trend derived from or as if from such a graph

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broadband [ˋbrɔdˋbænd] n.（电子信号的）宽频传输 describing a system that enables many messages or large amounts of information to be sent at the same time and very quickly between computers or other electronic devices

pave the way (for) 为……铺路 to make preparations, which will make it possible for something to happen in the future

milestone [ˋmaɪl͵ston] n. 里程碑 an important event in the development or history of something

turbulent [ˋtɝbjələnt] adj. 动荡的；混乱的 involving a lot of sudden changes

justifiable [ˋdʒʌstə͵faɪəb!] adj. 有理由的; 正当的; 入情入理; 说得过去 being a good reason for something

in tandem 协力地; 一前一后地 at the same time

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