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Sanjib.Acharya
Definitely the new standards might impose required norms for the electronic ...
chanj
Passengers typically are not allowed to turn on their cell phone while the plane ...
In-flight broadband deployments to surpass 6,100 planes in 2015, says In-Stat
Julien Happich
2/12/2012 2:42 PM EST
The in-flight Wi-Fi market has emerged to offer customers the same benefits of broadband connectivity that they enjoy on the ground. While the market has been in development for over a decade, in-flight Wi-Fi has only recently taken off. Deployments of Wi-Fi onboard airplanes have gained strength over the last few years, with availability reaching critical mass on some airlines.
New In-Stat research, forecasts that in-flight Wi-Fi broadband deployments will surpass 6,100 planes worldwide in 2015. "The installed base of Wi-Fi-enabled devices has increased enormously over the past decade," says Amy Cravens, Senior Analyst. "With more people carrying Wi-Fi-enabled devices, the potential addressable market has increased multi-fold."
"Additionally, the variety of Wi-Fi-enabled devices has also changed considerably, which will significantly alter the usage of in-flight broadband. More passengers are boarding planes with Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones and tablets, as well as laptops, which are able to utilize the service."
In-flight Wi-Fi service revenues are expected to surpass $1.5 billion in 2015. Take rates have increased significantly, moving from an average of 4% in 2010 up to 7% in 2011. In-flight broadband providers are beginning to introduce new revenue opportunities, including additional passenger services (video and voice) and operational services.
Visit In-Stat research at http://www.instat.com.
This article originally appeared on EE Times Europe.
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chanj
2/13/2012 1:25 PM EST
Passengers typically are not allowed to turn on their cell phone while the plane is in flight to destination. Is this restriction relieved? WiFi uses ISM band. Does it cause any interference to air-ground communication? Is there any certification required by FAA for devices being used in flight?
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Sanjib.Acharya
2/19/2012 11:40 AM EST
Definitely the new standards might impose required norms for the electronic equipments to comply with. May be, for the new aircrafts it is okay as the aviation electronics on board must have been certified to latest standard.
But what about the aircrafts existing in the fleets? Competition might drive the airlines to upgrade the older planes with the broadband facilities as well. What about the on-board electronics on these older planes...will those be upgraded as well…won’t there be any misses?
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