Gogo Adds Voice and Text Capability to Flights, Without Needing to Add Major Equipment to Planes

In-flight network provider Gogo announced on Friday a new feature that allows users to talk and text - at 30,000 feet.

Most people would agree that airplane tickets are already too expensive as it is. So the idea of retrofitting airlines' planes with special equipment in order to allow passengers to make voice calls and text message, which is something that would invariably lead to more expensive tickets or more ticky-tacky billing on carry-ons, peanuts, or, perhaps, breathing, doesn't seem worth it. Now there's an alternative that allows for regular cellphone use and doesn't require anything new on the planes.

Called "Text & Talk" by Gogo - an in-flight networking and wireless entertainment service - this system uses Gogo's already extant Wi-Fi system to allow passengers to send text messages and make phone calls on their smartphones "in real time from 30,000 feet traveling in excess of 500 miles-per-hour," according to the company's release.

While texting and voice calls have been difficult to facilitate on airplanes, since those are generally cell-tower dependent and airplanes don't exactly stay in range of any particular tower for very long, email, web surfing, and other internet-based services have been becoming increasingly common in-flight.

What Gogo does is use its internet connectivity as an extension of your GSM or CDMA-based wireless network, without needing to install "picocells," or little cellular receivers, on the underside of airplanes. All you have to do is install the Gogo app for iOS or Android and follow the instructions.

According to TechCrunch's Dana Wollman, who got a chance to try out the Gogo service on Gogo's personal lab-plane before it was officially announced, the process to set up Gogo voice and text is pretty simple:

 "You'll need to register your phone number while you're on the ground and still have access to your regular service provider - basically Gogo and your carrier need to do a virtual handshake to confirm that you are, in fact, a customer on that network," writes Wollman, possibly from 30,000 feet in the air.

So basically, as long as you remember to sign up before takeoff, you should be ready to go(go). Not that talking during a jet flight will be particularly easy: the sound of the airplane's engines might make a normal conversation impossible and, like any IP voice call, there are bound to be latency issues. Finally, multimedia text messages aren't supported by Gogo yet either. But, as comedian Louis C.K. might remind you, check your expectations: You'll be riding on a chair in the sky texting your friends thousands of feet below you on a magic phone.

And it won't cost you - or the airlines - anything more to add this capability to flights. "The great part about this technology is that it doesn't require us to install anything new to an aircraft and we can bundle it with or without connectivity," said Ash ElDifrawi, Gogo's chief marketing officer.  "We have already launched the service with some of our business aviation customers and we are talking with our commercial airline partners about launching the service for their passengers."