Airbus and China Mobile Cooperate to Develop In-flight Wi-fi

European aerospace giant Airbus Group has signed an agreement with Chinese telco China Mobile to develop in-flight wi-fi services to meet increasing demand for in-air connectivity.

The cooperation aims to develop an end-to-end solution for high-speed in-flight connectivity that will support the use of portable devices on board and the upcoming 5G technologies. 

Earlier in January this year, the Civil Aviation Authority of China allowed the use of mobile devices on board as long as airplane mode was switched on. Following this, demand for in-flight wi-fi is expected to surge over the next few years as most domestic routes have yet to be equipped with wi-fi services due to technology and cost limitations.

Current approaches to in-flight wi-fi are either through satellite-to-plane signals directly or air-to-ground communications. Currently, most in-flight wi-fi operate via satellite-to-plane signals that can be unstable and expensive.

Air-to-ground communications, on the other hand, are cheaper as ground signal towers have richer resources, are more stable and easier to build. However, air-to-ground communications do not work when the plane is travelling over large bodies of water.

Bilateral cooperation will be conducted through subsidiaries of the two companies, the Airbus China Innovation Center in Shenzhen and the China Mobile Intelligent Mobility Network Technology Co., which has a focus on the transportation industry and 5G networks.

Many of Mobile Operators like China Mobile, commercial airlines, system intergrators and etc. from China are actively seeking new products and better service experience to satisfy the passengers’ needs as much as possible.

Connected aircraft is definitely a vital part of the rising trend in the commercial aviation industry. Considering the huge demand of Chinese aviation market, on April 17th-18th , 2019, The Connected Aircraft China Congress 2019 brings together both Chinese and overseas main airlines and companies from all across the aerospace and avionics industries to assess market lessons, potential demand and best practices in global connected solutions for the passenger, airline efficiency and cutting-edge services. And most importantly the Congress will offer a perfect opportunity to help the companies locate at the right picture and build a pleasant cooperation.

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