Some airlines offer internet connection in flight. Although it is a service that is far from reaching the stability and speed of that offered on land, it is the only alternative for those who need to be connected at all times and places. But this scenario could change in the short term. Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet company, wants to offer its service on airplanes “as soon as possible“.
Starlink Vice President of Business Sales Jonathan Hofeller said Tuesday that are in talks with several airlines to offer broadband connections on commercial flights. Although the executive did not provide further details, Elon Musk did provide some clues. Said on Twitter that the service could reach a limited number of aircraft first, as these require special certification.
In late 2020, Starlink applied to the Federal Communications Commission for authorization to test its internet service on small Gulfstream jets. But that was just an experimental step to bring service to other, larger aircraft. The company wants to focus on Boeing 737 and Airbus A320. This makes sense since they are two of the most widely used models today.
Starlink internet on airplanes is on the way
At the moment it is not known when Starlink will actually start offering internet on airplanes, but it is clear that the SpaceX company is growing by leaps and bounds and wants to accelerate its deployment in this regard. As pointed out Bloomberg, when it finally becomes an in-flight connection provider will compete with other large companies in the sector such as Viasat Inc., Intelsat SA, Telesat Corp.
In this sense, SpaceX, Starlink’s mother company founded by tycoon Elon Musk, has designed and is already manufacturing the antennas that will be placed on airplanes. These have a technology very similar to that of consumer terminals, but with “with obvious improvements for aviation connectivity”, as revealed by Hofeller to middle of this year.
Although at the moment there are no details about the characteristics of the service, Starlink seems very confident that they will make a difference. “In general, passengers and customers want a great experience that systems [actuales] they just can’t provide, ”added Hofeller.
SpaceX currently offers speeds on the ground between 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps and a latency of 20ms in most places. The company promises to improve these values as its constellation of orbiting satellites grows and they acquire the ability to communicate with each other. Now we just have to wait to know how fast users can navigate to more 800 km / h and above 10,000 feet.