We are now a world of people who always want to be online and connected. There aren’t that many places where you can go where there is absolutely no reception, no Wi-Fi, no 3G/4G, but a plane used to be one of those sacred places.
A place providing a precious few hours away from the digital realm and a break away from emails, WhatsApp notifications and all sorts of other pings. But no more.
You might have once been able to use the excuse “Sorry I didn’t reply, I was on a plane!” but in-flight Wi-Fi is now becoming an increasingly common offering – Mostly on flagship airlines but possibly the budget ones aswell.
And so you might find yourself wondering – How does in-flight Wi-Fi actually work? How can I get an internet signal when I’m 35,000 feet up in the air?
Well in simplest terms, there are 2 ways this can occur.
The first is from the ground via mobile broadband towers. The signals these sent are received by an aircrafts antennas which are usually found on the base of the main body of the plane.
Theoretically, there should be no interruptions in connectivity as the plane automatically connects and receives signals from the nearest tower as it travels through different parts of airspace. If, however, you are travelling over a large body of water or perhaps very remote terrain then this method can make connectivity an issue.
The second way to get Wi-Fi while you fly uses uses satellite technology. Satellites in geostationary orbit (35,786km above the planet) 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. In the same way that devices on the ground can connect, so can the plane.
Your smartphone or device can then transmit information to and from the nearest satellite signal through an antenna on the top of the plane. The satellite acts as the ‘middle man’ as information is passed between the ground and the plane. Passengers can access Wi-Fi onboard the plane via a router.
As per usual, the US are a bit ahead on the whole Wi-Fi aboard your plane thing. Their infrastructure is much more developed than elsewhere in the world and so you will tend to find better (and cheaper) Wi-Fi offerings on American flights than those in Europe.
So now you know how you can get Wi-Fi on a plane, your next question might be, why is it so slow?
While technology is undoubtedly developing at a fast pace, it has strived but not quite managed to keep up with the sophistication and sheer number of Wi-Fi-guzzling devices and the demand for their use at all times.
The first onboard Wi-Fi service was launched by Gogo (previously known as Aircell) on a Virgin America plane a decade ago back in 2008. At this time, the connection was an adequate 3 Mbps, enough for the functionality of a few laptops (without the streaming of videos – that was prohibited). Here in 2018 however, every single passenger will likely have at least one device that they will want to connect to various apps, websites and multiple services which means there is a much greater strain and demand on resources.
Today you’ll likely see an offering of 12 Mbps via a satellite connection, but these are expensive to maintain and upgrade so we see this technology lagging behind too.
So whilst Gogo has a monopoly on US inflight Wi-Fi, it is been widely criticised for its painfully slow connection speeds.
In comparison to the inflight Wi-Fi speed of 12 Mbps, last year Ofcom reported that UK households enjoyed an average internet speed of 36.2 Mbps so there is rather a gap between what people are used to at home and what people get onboard their flight.
So if inflight Wi-Fi is so slow, why is it so expensive?
Both methods of technology come at a price, as do the in-aircraft systems. Not only that, but the necessary antennas also increase drag, which adds fuel costs onto the airline’s bill.
Factor in the maintenance and engineering costs and you’ll start to see that these fees are passed on to the customers. As with all service providers, there are price variations between airlines for in-flight connectivity, with some (like Emirates) offering the first 10MB free as a trial.
So if we’re paying over the odds for Wi-Fi, will it get faster in the future?
Yes, they’re working on it. The European Aviation Network [EAN] is being developed by communications firm Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom. This will be a high-capacity satellite Wi-Fi network backed up by ground towers, promising to provide “a reliable high bandwidth broadband service in the air” throughout Europe. The EAN is on track for launch this year (more information here https://www.inmarsataviation.com/en/services/european-aviation-network/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-european-aviation-network.html )
By 2020, inflight Wi-Fi is set to be a billion-dollar revenue sector with over half of the world’s aircraft being equipped for inflight Wi-Fi within a matter of years.
Gogo, with a network that covers the whole country, currently monopolises US in-flight Wi-Fi. Despite it being criticised for slow download and upload speeds, it promises that its new 2Ku service will deliver up to 70 Mbps due to upgraded antennas and satellite services. Almost double the average connection you see on land!
We haven’t seen this in Europe yet as the connection to satellites has been patchy due to dense airspace. However, with the imminent launch of the EAN and their launch client IAG (who own British Airways) Europe will start to see Wi-Fi onboard short haul flights as soon as this Summer.
Unfortunately though, Britain’s budget airlines are less likely to be offering this service anytime soon, with Ryanair’s spokesman going as far as saying that their customers enjoy being off the radar and out of contact during their flight.
So you might get away with the ‘Sorry I was on a plane!’ excuse for a bit longer…
