Spirit is first budget airline in the US to offer WiFi

Posted on 11/05/2018 by Engadget RSS Feed

As a rule, traveling with a budget airline in the US means foregoing any kind of mid-flight WiFi access. Not so with Spirit, though. The no-frills air carrier is rolling out internet access to its aircraft this fall, with the entire fleet expected...

JetBlue Ka-band high-speed internet now arriving in early 2013, eight times faster than the competition

Posted on 18/09/2012 by Ben Gilbert

JetBlue Airways' high-speed wireless initiative is being held in a flight pattern until "early 2013," apparently. The company announced as much in a detailed blog post this afternoon, which also compared speeds of its forthcoming in-plane high-speed internet to the competition -- JetBlue's Ka-band operates roughly eight times faster than the Ku-band competition, and over nine times faster than ATG. Moreover, Ka-band can scale to a full plane of passengers, meaning everyone gets the "at-home experience" they'd like regardless of how many folks are signed on. As previously noted, the "basic Wi-Fi" service with JetBlue will cost nothing -- which sounds to us like there are plans to reveal a more expensive tier (or tiers) in the near future. But then again, we really like free things.

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless, Internet

JetBlue Ka-band high-speed internet now arriving in early 2013, eight times faster than the competition originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 13:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intellectual Ventures launches Kymeta spinoff, promises slim satellite broadband hotspots

Posted on 21/08/2012 by Jon Fingas

Intellectual Ventures is best known for its tendency to sue everyone, but it's going some distance to mend that bruised image through a newly spun out company, Kymeta. The startup hopes to improve the quality of satellite broadband through mTenna-branded, Ka-band hotspots made from metamaterials -- substances that can boost and manipulate a satellite signal while occupying virtually no space, leading to self-pointing transceivers that are just a fraction of the size of what we use today. That still amounts to equipment the size of a laptop running at a peak 5Mbps, although it's small enough that Kymeta sees hotspots reaching individual customers who want access from a boat, a car or the field. We'd just advise against tossing out the MiFi too quickly. Kymeta doesn't expect the hotspot to be ready before late 2014 at the earliest, and that leaves many questions about how much of a hit we'll take to the pocketbook.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Intellectual Ventures launches Kymeta spinoff, promises slim satellite broadband hotspots originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Avanti launches prepaid, Ka-band satellite internet access, wants us Yelping from the Alps

Posted on 23/07/2012 by Jon Fingas

Avanti has been beaming satellite broadband to Europe for awhile, but it's been tied to a subscription through carrier deals. That's a tough sell to customers who, by definition, don't want to be tied to anything -- which is why the company just launched prepaid satellite internet access for the continent. Although the Ka-band service's 4Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream speeds won't have anyone dropping their 330Mbps fiber anytime soon, the pay-as-you-go strategy will let travelers and rural dwellers get broadband in a pinch, no matter how spotty terrestrial access might get. Imagine Skype calls during Swiss ski vacations and you've got the gist of it. Carriers will resell the data in healthy doses of 1GB or larger, and Avanti is adamant that there won't be any nasty throttling surprises waiting in store. While exact prices will depend on partners, the provider isn't waiting for those details before it covers much of the Old World: its upcoming HYLAS 2 satellite (what you see above) will share the speed with Africa, the Caucasus region and the Middle East as of August 2nd, making it almost too easy for us to update Google+ in Georgia.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Avanti launches prepaid, Ka-band satellite internet access, wants us Yelping from the Alps originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Delta expanding Gogo in-flight WiFi to select international flights beginning in 2013

Posted on 29/06/2012 by Joe Pollicino

Delta Airlines isn't a stranger to offering WiFi on many of its domestic US flights, but using Gogo's air-to-ground connection setup has essentially kept it from taking off over the seas. That's all set to change come 2013, however, as 150 of Delta's long-haul aircraft will make use of all those high-bandwidth Ku-band capacity satellites that Gogo has been acquiring over the past few months. The updated setup will ensure that you can update your Facebook status over the likes of the Atlantic, but it won't be fully rolled out until about 2015. By that time, the airline estimates it'll be operating around 1,000 Gogo-equipped aircraft worldwide -- not too shabby. If anything, the wait to hit 10,000 feet is surely going be more interesting for all the international work-a-holics out there. Hit up the press release after the break for more details in the meantime.

Continue reading Delta expanding Gogo in-flight WiFi to select international flights beginning in 2013

Delta expanding Gogo in-flight WiFi to select international flights beginning in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gogo spreads its in-flight WiFi wings further with SES satellite deal

Posted on 19/06/2012 by Jason Hidalgo

Rejoice frequent-flying lovers of the Interwebs. All systems continue to be a go for in-flight WiFi provider Gogo as the company inks a deal with yet another satellite operator. A new agreement with global satellite company SES puts Gogo closer to providing seamless WiFi for passengers on intercontinental flights that use its service -- SES' coverage area includes the United States, Europe and the Atlantic Ocean region. The agreement comes along the heels of deals signed by Gogo with Inmarsat for Ka-band frequency service and AeroSat to use its HR6400 satellite communication system for Ku-band connections. The company says Ku-band service could be available on commercial flights using Gogo's network as early as the end of this year, providing more options for, say, Airtime video chat hijinks. As long as Internet access prevents bored kids from kicking the back of our airline seats, then it's all good.

Continue reading Gogo spreads its in-flight WiFi wings further with SES satellite deal

Gogo spreads its in-flight WiFi wings further with SES satellite deal originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 08:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gogo and AeroSat get friendly on Ku-band, bring international in-flight WiFi closer

Posted on 18/05/2012 by Jon Fingas

Gogo has a virtual lock on in-flight WiFi for the US, but most of us forget that everything goes dark the moment you decide to cross the border. The company already has a deal with Inmarsat for Ka-band Internet connections, and now it's partnering up with AeroSat to bring Ku-band satellite access. The tie-in will let Gogo offer precious relief from tedium on international flights, whether it's a modest hop to the Great White North or an hours-long trip across the ocean. Gogo considers the deal an interim step until Inmarsat's technology is ready, making for much quicker availability than if it had just waited until it could use Ka-band: Ku-band satellite linkups should be on airliners as soon as the end of 2012, while Ka-band won't even show its face until at least late 2014. It's unknown what kind of premium we'll pay over the $13 maximum Gogo normally charges, but if AeroSat lets us squeak in a few more Twitter updates on our way home from Barcelona, it'll be worthwhile.

Continue reading Gogo and AeroSat get friendly on Ku-band, bring international in-flight WiFi closer

Gogo and AeroSat get friendly on Ku-band, bring international in-flight WiFi closer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 16:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.