BY MATTHEW LI @groove_group
Qantas announced today a deal with global broadband services provider ViaSat that will bring fast and free in-flight wifi to Australia.
The new in-flight wifi service will be up to 10 times faster than the standard wifi, giving travellers the freedom to watch entertainment shows, latest news updates and live sports on domestic flights via the Internet.
Trials will start with one Qantas Boeing 737 aircraft in late 2016 before the system is introduced to all of Qantas’s domestic fleet of A330s and B737 early 2017. The aircraft will be installed with modems that will receive the satellite signal first hand giving the best in-flight experience for Qantas travellers.
The new service will enhance new opportunities through their collaboration with ViaSat thanks to the recent launch of the NBN satellite. Broadband systems installed by ViaSat in planes in the US are up to four times faster than the standard average used in the technology and innovation industry.
Depending on the system’s success, Qantas may also install high-speed wifi on international flights.
Featured photo by Sahil Bolurker/CC/flickr
