Industry experts claim that inflight Wi-Fi is set to dramatically improve, thanks to a new project in development.
US firm Honeywell Aerospace and Gogo are teaming up with global satellite firm Inmarsat on the technology, which is called the Global Xpress (GX) Aviation network. The firms have labelled the system as the “first global high-speed broadband for the skies”.
Currently only around seven to eight per cent of airlines offer wireless services. However Briand Greer, president of Honeywell Aerospace Asia Pacific, said he expects this figure to increase by 25 per cent by 2018. Mr Greer also expects inflight Wi-Fi to generate a total of $2.8 billion (£1.68 billion) for the firm over the next 20 years, according to indiatimes.com.
Inflight Wi-Fi can currently provide download speeds of around 50 megabits per second, which is described by Greer as the equivalent to what people would experience in a coffee shop.
Recent studies have shown that airline passengers are increasingly expecting inflight wireless services. In fact, one such study from Honeywell found nearly 90 percent would give up perks such as drinks or a better seat for a faster and more reliable Wi-Fi service, according to newvision.co.ug.
