No word yet on whether voice calls are coming to airplanes.

AT&T today announced an LTE-based Internet service for airlines, a service that will be available for travelers “as soon as late 2015.”

“To deliver this new service, AT&T plans to build an innovative air-to-ground network in the continental United States, based on global 4G LTE standards, to provide fast speeds and efficient utilization of spectrum already owned by AT&T,” the company said.

AT&T said its offering will include “onboard entertainment,” perhaps suggesting a video service. Streaming video is usually not supported on airplanes due to bandwidth limitations.
AT&T said it’s working with Honeywell’s aerospace division “to provide hardware and service capabilities.” The wireless provider didn’t detail any agreements with airlines but expects there will be some takers. “We will provide information on our airline customers prior to launch. AT&T plans for its in-flight connectivity service to support both business aviation and commercial airline customers from day one of the service launch,” the company said.

AT&T also didn’t say whether it will provide voice service. “No clear answer to share yet on that, other than to say that of course we will comply with all current regulations and rules that exist in the airline industry today,” an AT&T spokesperson said.

The Federal Communications Commission has proposed allowing phone calls on airplanes, but it’s not a done deal yet. Even if the FCC lifts the ban on cellular calls, airlines would not be required to allow voice calls during flights. Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson has pledged not to allow phone calls on flights regardless of any rule changes.

AT&T claims its service will be better than existing ones, but Gogo plans to have an upgraded system in place this year as well.