Dubai Announces Another Boost to In-flight WiFi
Abi BrayApparently Emirates is going to roll out WiFi and in-flight calling across its A380 fleet. The carrier announced this as of July 20th. The Dubai flag career said that all of the double-decker planes will be equipped with equipment that will allow customers to access the internet via WiFi on board.
The installation of these new WiFi systems will commence as of 2011. However, it is unlikely that full connectivity, voice calls, iPhone and iPad internet access, and SMS messages, will not be introduced until June 2012.
Emirates went on to say that the satellite technology used means that passengers will be ale to access the internet just as they normally would on the ground. This new announcement means that Emirates is set to become the world’s first major airline to offer a full set of connectivity services.
Not too long ago, Cathay Pacific announced that it would equip all of its 158 planes with internet and telephone access. However, this service is not expected to launch until 2012 as well.
Experts are hoping that this will mean that prices will also fall. WiFi is cheap and plentiful in the United States but more expensive on board international carriers. Airlines rely very heavily on expensive satellite links to provide them with connectivity.
Emirates made this new announcement at the Farnborugh Air Show in the UK. It also announced that it is to purchase 30 Boeing 777 wide body planes. The airline is hoping to use these long range planes to further establish Dubai as a central gateway to worldwide air travel.
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Filed under Business & Finance, Travel News, World News