If you are dissatisfied with the wireless Internet connectivity speeds available in flight today, there is hope for a brighter future. Honeywell and Inmarsat have joined together to bring high-speed Internet service to airline and business jet passengers in flight through what they call GX Aviation. The companies claim the service will be able to provide broadband speeds of up to 50 Mbps, fast enough to stream live TV.
By connecting to one of three Inmarsat satellites, the first of which was launched out of Russia in December, aircraft occupants will have access to the Inmarsat network anywhere around the globe through avionics developed by Honeywell. The second and third Inmarsat satellites are expected to launch by the end of this year. Access to the Internet will be available on wireless enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets and computers.
The two companies have completed the critical design review of the equipment and certification is expected toward the end of this year, in which case customers will be able to connect to the high speed wireless service by the first half of next year.
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