IPTV in the air
On Jetblue we watch satellite TV. On Singapore Airlines they watch IPTV thanks to Connexion powered WiFi networks. According to Connexion director of wireless channel Adla Hendry half of all Wi-Fi-enabled devices on Wi-Fi enabled planes are logging to the internet. At present 60 planes owned by carriers like SAS, JML, Singapore, Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines have Connexion wi-fi. Soon you could get GSM services on the planes as well.
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I think one of the real stories here is that the reason you don’t see this service in the US is all about the FCC and Verizon. Instead using satellites for backhaul, Verizon wants to do this with backhaul to a terrestrial network. The FCC likes that plan because it involves new licensed frequencies that they get to auction off. Meanwhile, we the consumers get to sit and wait.