Sending SMS messages while flying over the Pacific Ocean may be an option for some frequent flyers by the end of this year, according to Tenzing Communications, Inc. 

The Seattle, Washington, company announced that it has conducted the "world's first" in-flight wireless two-way SMS onboard an aircraft flying from Hong Kong to Los Angeles. 

While onboard a new Airbus 340-600, David Trowern, engineering vice president of Tenzing, exchanged SMS messages with several friends and colleagues across the United States and the United Kingdom. Using the back-seat video screen, instead of his cell phone, Mr. Trowern sent messages notifying others of his arrival time, and then recipients replied with well wishes using their mobile handsets. 

The company said the new service will integrate with the onboard entertainment system to allow passengers to send and receive messages on in-seat personal screens, using either a touch-screen keyboard or in-seat game console handset for message input.

The service will support network-based standards such as TDMA, CDMA, GSM and iDEN. The network utilizes Tenzing's patent pending satellite communications system for air-to-ground communications with an onboard proxy server delivering content to passengers over a cabin LAN, the company said. 

At present Tenzing is working with several airlines and IFE suppliers to implement the service and expects to have the service available for passenger use later this year. 

For more information: www.tenzing.com