Spanish airline, Vueling, and broadband and telecommunications provider, Telefonica, have announced an agreement to implement high speed wifi on planes so that customers can enjoy an in-air online experience similar to what they are used to getting on the ground.
Thanks to this agreement, four Vueling Airbus A320 aircraft will gain the service in 2014, making Vueling the first European airline to offer high speed wifi onboard and setting a real benchmark in the field.
Until now, this type of onboard data connectivity wasn’t possible on short-haul European routes such as Madrid-Barcelona, but now passengers will be able to receive and respond to emails, update their social media status or simply keep on top of news and events in real time, among many other exciting possibilities.
Telefonica will be integrating high speed LiveTV technology with the mobile service AIR ACCESS from Eutelsat via its satellite, KA-SAT, in order to offer a complete internet access solution in the air. The Ka band satellite systems are unique in being able to offer up to 20 Mbps in flight, producing similar results to using ADSL at home.
