A alliance led by Delta, Sprint, Gogo and Bharti Airtel wants to transform the quality of in-flight internet connectivity. This week at MWC 2018, the Seamless Air Alliance announced plans for better availability of fast 5G or broadband connectivity in the airspace. The goal is for airlines to work with affiliated mobile services and use satellite technology to provide passengers with the same high-speed, low-latency connectivity as terrestrial services.
Under this collaboration, all the Airtel customers travelling worldwide will be able to enjoy uninterrupted access to high-speed internet even while they are onboard an active flight. TRAI has already approved in-flight connectivity in India, which will be available to flyers in the next few months.
Anyone who’s regularly used an airplane internet connection knows the substantial experience, so this is a positive step forward. It’s too early to say when this alliance will start having tangible effects, and it’s important that more airlines sign on to make it a reality, but anything that improves in-flight internet is good.
The Seamless Air Alliance is a group of companies including Airbus, Sprint, OneWeb, and Delta which aims to provide low-latency, high-speed internet using satellite. Now, since Airtel has formed a partnership with the alliance, the company will be able to provide the same connectivity to its users who are travelling by air.
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With this partnership, Airtel has become one of the first five founding members of the alliance, which is now looking to add even more partners to reduce the infrastructure cost associated with this venture. The idea is still in its early stages, according to the report.
See our full MWC 2018 coverage here.
