Airplane Wi-Fi to get faster connections

The popularity of Wi-Fi services on flights is increasing on a daily basis. Airlines are now rolling out new technologies and speedier connections in order to offer more productivity for business travelers, as well as encroaching in a rare escape for the wired world.

In the US, Gogo Inc. is the largest provider of Internet on flights. The company is planning to unveil a system which uses a combination of satellites and cellular towers and connects airplanes to the Web at speeds which are six times faster than its current best option. Gogo’s new inflight Wi-Fi service will be launched by Virgin America Inc. during the second half of 2014.

The company also said that it expects to upgrade its 53 aircraft with the product at some point. The news comes after JetBlue Airways Corp. received an approval from the government last week to install a new high-capacity satellite link in order to support streaming video to devices of fliers, from Netflix Inc. and Hulu, among others.

JetBlue has lacked inflight internet in the past and plans to launch the service on some aircraft in 2013 and equip its entire fleet of 180 aircraft by the end of 2015. Gogo has set the prices of its onboard Wi-Fi, with options which include $14 one-day passes and $50 monthly passes.

Photo Credits: BBC