JetBlue has become the latest airline to offer a Wi-Fi service to its passengers, reports gigaom.com.
Passengers can now hook their smartphones and tablets up to ‘FlyFi’, the American company’s long-awaited wireless connection for JetBlue customers.
The airline says its connection is capable of speeds of up to 20 Mbps and can provide a broadband experience akin to home connectivity. JetBlue has also looked to separate itself from the competition by offering basic access to FlyFi for free.
There’s also something different about the way JetBlue’s connection is set up. Besttechie.com says FlyFi is linked to ViaSat’s next-generation satellite, which beams a constant 140 Gbps speed to the ground. However, the company is not planning on using up all of that capacity.
Instead of enhancing the speed of the average connection, the strength of ViaSat’s link will be used to pump more capacity into the aircraft when the number of broadband users increases. Due to this, unlike all the other airlines, JetBlue’s connection is not rate-limited.
FlyFi basic is available for free, while a premium version of the service will come in at $9 per hour (around £5.50). This will allow users to stream video and music while they wait to land at their destination.
