AeroMobile™ Congratulates Boeing on World Record Flight; Reports Brisk Phone Usage

November 17, 2005

Annapolis, Maryland—The 23-hour world-record flight of a Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner last week from Hong Kong to London represented more than a milestone for aviation. It was a milestone in communications as well.

The 35 invited passengers—including journalists from around the world, airline representatives, and 777 Program partners—were able to use their mobile cell phones during the flight. Technology provided by AeroMobile, a joint venture of ARINC Incorporated and Telenor ASA, allowed the passengers to place and receive voice calls and SMS text messages just as they normally would on the ground.

“AeroMobile is very pleased to be associated with this record-breaking flight by Boeing,” said Graham Lake, Managing Director, ARINC Europe, Middle East, and Africa. “The controlled and appropriate use of mobile phones in flight is now a reality—and a true benefit for any passengers who must make contact with their offices or families.”

The traveling press used the system frequently. Richard Quest, a CNN journalist, filed his news desk reports via mobile phone. "I was able to use the system to broadcast into CNN's live coverage of the flight to our viewers around the world,” he said. “It was an interesting experience being able to use my own mobile phone on board a plane, especially since we have been so conditioned to turn them off as soon as the plane door is closed."

More than 11 hours of cell phone usage were logged during the flight, including 285 air to ground calls, 50 ground to air calls, and 300 SMS text messages.

Bernt Fanghol, Vice President, Telenor New Business, said, “As the first—and currently the only—proven mobile phone service for airline passengers, it is appropriate AeroMobile technology played a supporting role in Boeing’s successful world record flight.”

AeroMobile’s technology is designed to take advantage of Inmarsat Aero H and H+ satcom systems already installed on most long-haul aircraft. As technology advances, the AeroMobile architecture will also support newer, higher-capacity broadband satellite capability such as Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband. AeroMobile offers a comprehensive, future-proof solution for in-flight mobile cellular voice, text and data connectivity for passengers.

Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Telenor is an international provider of high quality telecommunications, data and media communication services. Telenor is one of Norway’s largest companies with 2004 revenues of approx NOK 61.3 billion (approximately US$ 9.1 billion) and a workforce of 20,900 located in Norway and abroad. Telenor is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (TEL) and NASDAQ in New York (TELN). For more information, visit the Telenor web site at www.telenor.com.

ARINC Incorporated is the world leader in transportation communications and systems engineering. The company develops and operates communications and information processing systems and provides systems engineering and integration solutions to five key industries: airports, aviation, defense, government, and surface transportation. Founded to provide reliable and efficient radio communications for the airlines, ARINC is headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, and operates key regional offices in London and Singapore, with over 3,000 employees worldwide. ARINC is ISO 9001:2000 Certified. www.arinc.com