British Airways plans in-flight wi-fi
UK national carrier British Airways plans to offer wi-fi high in the sky.
BA is joining with UK satellite company Inmarsat to introduce what it claims will be super-fast and reliable broadband aboard all its aircraft while in the air.
ITPro says that Inmarsat plans to spend around £250 million to develop the ground network required to supply the wi-fi signal at 38,000 feet.
It quotes Kate Thornton, head of product and service at British Airways, as saying that the airline is in discussions with Inmarsat about the in-flight internet service.
“Starting with UK domestic routes Inmarsat intends to deploy Europe’s first ground-based 4G broadband network giving our customers the internet access they expect on the ground while in the air,” she said.
Europe lags far behind the US, where wi-fi is already widely available to air travellers.
