Emirates, one of the most popular airlines in the world, is revamping its in-flight Wi-Fi product. It has teamed up with Inmarsat and Thales for this purpose. The revamp will see Emirates in-flight Wi-Fi speeds reach up to 50Mbps, which is certainly not going to be too shabby for when you’re 40,000 feet up in the air.
Emirates has inked a deal with Inmarsat and Thales to provide its new Boeing 777X airplanes with onboard satellite technology which will enable the airline to offer customers with in-flight Wi-Fi speeds of up to 50Mbps.
This agreement will see Emirates’ Boeing 777X fleet equipped with the Inmarsat Global Express Aviation satellite from 2020.
There’s going to be a lot of these planes flying with 50Mbps in-flight Wi-Fi. Emirates has 150 Boeing 777X on order. That’s over and above the 165 Boeing 777 aircraft that it already owns.
Each aircraft will have a satellite antenna mounted on the top with several wireless access points. This will ensure similar signal strength for passengers regardless of where they’re seated in the plane.
The airline says that it has spent over $200 million to provide Wi-Fi connectivity across its aircraft over the past few years. More than 800,000 passengers utilize the onboard Wi-Fi service every single month.
It currently offers complimentary Wi-Fi to all First Class and Business Class passengers while economy passengers get 20MB free. They’re free to purchase more if they want.