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JetBlue Airways Corp. will start offering limited e-mail and instant messaging services for free on one of its planes next week as airlines renew efforts to offer in-flight Internet access.

Passengers won't be able to surf the full Web. But if they bring Wi-Fi-equipped laptops along, they can access lightweight versions of Yahoo e-mail and instant messaging services; BlackBerry owners who have Wi-Fi-enabled handsets (the BlackBerry 8820 and BlackBerry Curve 8320) will be able to access their personal and corporate e-mail.

JetBlue will be using a wireless spectrum that LiveTV bought from the Federal Communications Commission last year for USD 7 million. Because Internet access will use Wi-Fi and not cellular signals, the company said, it does not violate federal regulations. Brett Muney, JetBlue's general manager for product development, said the airline received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration to use the system on A320 aircraft.

It is also one of the reasons JetBlue is not charging passengers to log on. “Why charge for something that doesn’t work very well yet?” said David G. Neeleman, JetBlue’s founder and chairman.

The JetBlue system is scheduled to make its debut in the following week on Flight 641 from New York to San Francisco. The aircraft, an Airbus A320, is specially designated "BetaBlue" as it is used to test new entertainment services offered through JetBlue's subsidiary, LiveTV.

As the major players in the airline industry compete with one another in an increasingly tech-savvy world, carriers have touted in-flight tech innovations like satellite TV service and electrical power connections.

JetBlue already offers DirecTV service, as well as XM satellite radio on some of its newer planes. When Virgin America first took off in August, geeks drooled over the USB and power connections, MP3 library, and a messaging service that lets lonely passengers strike up conversations with fellow travelers on the same plane.

Unlike its on-board TV service, JetBlue's Wi-Fi connection doesn't rely on satellites. Instead, it uses an antenna on the aircraft to transmit signals to about 100 ground cell tower stations. The aircraft antenna connects to the server on board. Three Wi-Fi connecting points on the aircraft sends and receives data to and from the server. Without satellites, the service is limited to mostly over land. Due to federal regulations, it can only be turned on once the aircraft clears 10,000 feet.

If it works well, said David Neeleman, JetBlue’s chairman, ‘‘we’ll roll it out to our whole fleet.’