AT&T has announced plans to launch an in-flight connectivity service for airlines based on LTE. The service is scheduled for introduction in late 2015, and will provide broadband connections for in-flight WiFi and entertainment. The system will also enable improved communication between the cockpit and the connected passengers, while the service could also provide coordination for crew services and maintenance information on the ground, for optimizing and monitoring the plane’s performance. To deploy the service, AT&T intends to build an air-to-ground network in the continental United States, which uses global 4G standards in spectrum already owned by AT&T. It is not currently targeting a global deployment, although the same method could be used elsewhere if spectrum sharing or consolidation agreements…