British Airways Likely First Customer of Europe’s New High-Speed In-Flight Wi-Fi Service
Skift Take
We're no doubt in the middle of a new arms race in connectivity. Will better flight tracking go hand-in-hand with faster download speeds?
Inmarsat has announced that it will deploy a hybrid air-to-ground network for airline passenger connectivity services across Europe.
To establish this service, Inmarsat has ordered a new S-band satellite, Europasat, and will complement this satellite with a fully integrated air-to-ground network across the EU. British Airways has initiated talks with Inmarsat to be its launch customer for this new service.
Inmarsat quotes Kate Thornton, Head of Product and Service at British Airways as saying:
"British Airways is in discussions with Inmarsat about leading Europe in a new era of broadband in the air."
"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."
During a special conference call and webcast with investors, market analysts and reporters this morning, Rupert Pearce, Inmarsat’s CEO, indicated that Inmarsat is working with
