Starting next year, one of the largest American airlines, United Airlines, will offer passengers free Wi-Fi on its flights via SpaceX's Starlink satellite Internet.
In the future, free Wi-Fi from Starlink will appear on more than 1,000 United Airlines planes.
"Everything you can do on the ground, you will soon be able to do aboard a United aircraft at an altitude of 35,000 feet (10,668 meters), almost anywhere in the world," said United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby.
This initiative is important for travelers. United Airlines currently uses the services of four different Wi-Fi service providers for its aircraft, including Intelsat, Panasonic Wi-Fi and Viasat Wi-Fi.
In the United States, the high-speed Starlink service is currently available only on JSX and Hawaiian Airlines aircraft. A number of international airlines have announced plans to install Starlink Wi-Fi: WestJet will use Starlink on board some of its aircraft starting in December, Qatar Airways will introduce free Starlink Wi-Fi on three of its Boeing 777-300 aircraft later this year, Air New Zealand intends to deploy Starlink to its domestic fleet in 2025.
News of the United Airlines and Starlink deal appeared at the same time as the statement by the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Jessica Rosenworcel, on the need to develop competition in the field of space communications.
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