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How does Wi-Fi work at 35,000 feet and why don't all airlines offer it?
For all its woes, air travel has always offered a brief digital detox – a
precious few hours away from the squall of emails, messages and app
notifications. But no more.
In-flight Wi-Fi is getting faster and cheaper, and is an increasingly common
offering on budget and flagship airlines alike. “Sorry I missed your email – I
was on a plane” is an excuse that simply doesn’t cut it anymore. But how does
in-flight Wi-Fi actually work?
To simplify, there are two ways for an internet signal to reach your device at
35,000 feet. The first is via ground-based mobile broadband towers, which send
signals up to an aircraft’s antennas (usually on the base of the fuselage).
<img src="/content/dam/Travel/2017/January/plane%20wifi%201-small.jpg"
alt="“Over half of the world’s aircraft will be equipped for inflight Wi-Fi
within the next six years,” says Inmarsat" width="320" height="218"
class="responsive-image--fallback"/>
“Over half of the world’s aircraft will be equipped for inflight Wi-Fi within
the next six years,” says Inmarsat Credit: getty
As you travel into different sections of airspace, the plane automatically
connects to signals from the nearest tower, so there is (in theory at least) no
interruption to your browsing. But if you’re passing over large bodies of water
or particularly remote terrain, connectivity can be an issue.
The second method uses satellite technology. Planes connect to satellites in
geostationary orbit (35,786km above the planet), which send and receive signals
to earth via receivers and transmitters. These are the same satellites that are
used in television signals, weather forecasting, and covert military operations.
Information is transmitted to and from your smartphone via an antenna on the
top of the aircraft, which connects to the closest satellite signal.
Information is passed between the ground and the plane via the satellite. Wi-Fi
signal is distributed to plane passengers via an on board router.
<img src="/content/dam/Travel/2017/January/wifi%20plane%203-small.jpg"
alt="Norwegian Airlines offers free Wi-Fi on most flights in Europe, the US and
Caribbean – though not on its international long-haul routes" width="320"
height="320" class="responsive-image--fallback"/>
Norwegian Airlines offers free Wi-Fi on most flights in Europe, the US and
Caribbean – though not on its international long-haul routes Credit: alamy
In both cases, the US has a much more developed infrastructure than anywhere
else in the world – so US carriers have a better (and cheaper) Wi-Fi offering
than those in Europe.
Why is in-flight Wi-Fi so slow?
Technology is developing fast, but it has struggled to keep up with the
sophistication and sheer number of Wi-Fi-guzzling devices.
Back in 2008, when in-flight broadband company Gogo (then known as Aircell)
launched its first onboard Wi-Fi service on a Virgin America plane, the 3 Mbps
connection was adequate for a few laptops (and streaming video was prohibited).
But now, with every passenger toting at least one device to connect to
countless apps, websites and services, there’s a much greater strain on
resources.
These days, a satellite connection offers around 12 Mbps, but satellites are
expensive to maintain and upgrade – so that technology is lagging behind too.
<img src="/content/dam/Travel/2017/January/wifi%20plane%202-small.jpg"
alt="Gogo has a monopoly on US inflight Wi-Fi, but has been criticised for its
painfully slow speeds" width="320" height="320"
class="responsive-image--fallback"/>
Gogo has a monopoly on US inflight Wi-Fi, but has been criticised for its
painfully slow speeds Credit: alamy
According to UK communications regulator Ofcom, the average UK household
internet speed reached 28.9 Mbps in 2016 – so in-flight Wi-Fi has a long way to
go to catch up.
Why is in-flight Wi-Fi so expensive?
All of that technology doesn’t come cheap – and nor do the in-aircraft systems.
Antennas also increase drag, adding fuel costs to the airline’s bill.
Those fees – plus engineering and maintenance costs – are usually passed on to
customers. The price of in-flight connectivity varies between airlines,
although some offer free trials – for example, the first 10MB on an Emirates
flight is free.
Will it get faster in the future?
Yes. Communications firm Inmarsat is working with Deutsche Telekom to develop
the European Aviation Network [EAN], a high-capacity satellite Wi-Fi network
backed up by ground towers, which promises “a reliable high bandwidth broadband
service in the air” throughout Europe. The EAN is slated to enter commercial
service during 2017 – and British Airways has reportedly already signed up.
Watch | How European Aviation Network Wi-Fi will work 02:32
“Over half of the world’s aircraft will be equipped for in-flight Wi-Fi within
the next six years,” says Inmarsat. “It is set to become a billion-dollar
revenue sector by 2020.”
Gogo, meanwhile, currently has a monopoly on US in-flight Wi-Fi, with a network
that covers the whole country. It has been criticised for its painfully-slow
upload and download speeds, but its new 2Ku service promises upgraded antennas
and satellite services, delivering up to 70 Mbps – much faster than your
average connection on land.
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