Starlink’s in-flight wi-fi is an overdue gamechanger
Speedy on-board wi-fi will soon become a competitive necessity for airlines. When it comes to providers, there's only one primary player.
The big breakthrough of the moment in aviation doesn’t have wings or turbines – instead, it makes smart use of out-of-this-world technology. With aerospace engineers struggling to deliver much that’s revolutionary, a reliable, no-fuss, high-speed data connection will be the real game changer. For now, the primary player is Starlink. It has won contracts with several major airlines, which have proceeded to roll out the product quickly. The system’s antenna is small and light with no moving parts and it requires no onboard server. That means it can be outfitted during an overnight stop.
The Low Earth Orbit satellites that it uses are crucial to delivering higher speeds and broad coverage. Many existing players in in-flight connectivity are rushing to roll out their own solutions. Passengers will enjoy typical download speeds of 250 megabytes per second to 300 megabytes per second. Scandinavian Airlines recently demonstrated its setup on a flight from Copenhagen to the Arctic Circle. It works – and the speeds have not been exaggerated. What that will mean when an entire aircraft cabin can be live-streaming at the same time is another matter. But one thing is clear: this will rapidly become a competitive necessity.
starlink.com
This article is from Monocle’s March issue, The Monocle 100, which features our editors’ favourite 100 figures, destinations, objects and ideas.
Read the rest of the issue here.
