Dubai: The next time you’re getting on a flight, don’t bother downloading episodes of your favourite television series or your favourite podcast in advance. You’ll be able to live-stream that content and check your emails all from your seat miles above ground.
In the next year, high-speed broadband will be available for airlines to offer passengers, using services from satellite company Yahsat, a subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company.
The company said in a statement on Monday that its services will offer in-flight connectivity that will allow passengers to “have an in-flight browsing experience similar to service available in their home or office.”
This includes access to streaming content, social media, online shopping and messaging apps.
The announcement comes after a partnership between Yahsat, du, Etihad Airways Engineering, Hughes Network System, and Carlisle Interconnect. As part of the partnership, Yahsat successfully tested out 50 megabits per second internet connection in an environment simulating that of an Airbus A320.
Etihad Airways will be showcasing that in-flight connectivity on an Airbus A320 aircraft at the Dubai Air Show taking place from November 12-16.
But it’s not just Etihad Airways, as Yahsat said it plans to execute steps over the next year to roll out the internet solution to commercial airlines across the Middle East and beyond.
“This partnership will allow us to establish the necessary infrastructure needed to keep passengers comfortably connected in the air through the latest and most advanced in-flight connectivity. We believe that together we will set the benchmark for high-speed WiFi in the air …” stated Saleem Al Blooshi, chief infrastructure officer at telecom provider du.
