A recent Wall Street Journal test of inflight Wi-Fi on more than 50 flights across eight airlines, conducted by personal technology columnist Joanna Stern, revealed inconsistent connectivity; however new satellite technology from Intelsat and other companies promises significant improvements. With smooth video calls, fast web browsing, and simultaneous streaming on multiple devices, massive connectivity experience upgrades are in motion for the traveling public. Unlike most offerings on the market, Intelsat’s solution operates via a multi-orbit antenna on the airplane, bringing together the reliability of geostationary satellites with the low latency that low earth orbit delivers. The multi-orbit antenna addresses a significant complaint of LEO only solutions which is bottlenecks and congestion in heavily trafficked areas.
American and Alaska Airlines will begin upgrading their old cellular systems to Intelsat’s innovative technology, this year to better serve customers and crew. According to Intelsat’s Senior Vice President, David Bijur, airlines are showing a never-before-seen level of interest in upgrading their inflight Wi-Fi, opening the door to quicker, more reliable connections.
“This is successful because I think the multi-orbit story really resonates with people,” said Bijur. “LEO is great; I think this is going to be the future of inflight Internet, but because of the way the architecture of LEO covers the planet with equal capacity everywhere, it doesn’t work because demand is not equal”
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