The next step for Starlink is to enhance the Wi-Fi connection that airlines offer on their commercial flights. Specifically, SpaceX is in talks with different airlines in order to bring access to its satellite Internet network during travel .
The This news was confirmed by Jonathan Hofeller, who serves as Vice President of Starlink and SpaceX commercial sales. The plan is to enter the business with a proposal that would start working “in the near future.” Anyway, for this to happen it is still necessary to expand the company's satellite fleet , among other technical requirements.
“We are in talks with several airlines . We have our own aviation product in development, we have already done some demonstrations to date, and we hope it will be finalized for installation on aircraft in the very near future, “said Hoffeler.
The The statement was made on a panel during the Connected Aviation Intelligence summit Starlink's goal is to bring its connection to commercial flights with speeds of up to 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload . The service has been in beta for a long time and brings Internet access to places where it is not available or is limited.
Starlink's satellite Internet would also reach commercial flights
Currently, not all airlines offer Wi-Fi connectivity on their commercial flights. Many times the available network is used only to distribute multimedia content on smartphones or tablets of the passengers, through company apps. In cases where it is possible to navigate p On the web, the price of the plans and the quality of the connection vary according to airline, route or countries.
For Starlink to take its Internet to commercial flights it needs greater satellite availability . Today SpaceX has launched almost 1,800 of the approximately 4,400 satellites it needs to achieve global coverage with its service. Hoffeler explained that airplanes could connect to the Starlink network by sending signals to ground stations ; while when this is not possible (when flying over the Ocean, for example) they would depend on inter-satellite links . The manager himself confirmed that this intersatelite communication capacity is under development and will be incorporated into the “next generation” of his constellation.
For logical reasons, connect commercial aircraft with Starlink will require specific hardware that will also be developed by SpaceX. The company has not set deadlines to move forward on this project, but fierce competition is expected with other firms already established in the sector. The costs of implementation and the level of innovation will be key to see who comes out victorious in the contest.
