There are also some limitations among the different types of WiFi services. The ATG system, for example, has antennas that can only face the front and rear of the plane and the Ku-Band satellite is only able to connect to one satellite at a time.
This means that both of these systems can cause disruptions in the service between the various satellites and towers. On-the-ground technology also has some limitations. Some remote places that contain a lot of farmland or wide stretches of land have a limited number of cell phone towers, meaning that the service can be disrupted from time to time.
Since around the year , airline passengers have had this capability and love it, which is why so many advances are being made year after year when it comes to getting WiFi on airplanes. Most airlines offer some type of WiFi capability, but many of them offer it only on certain models of their airplanes. You can easily visit their website or give them a call to find out for certain, and the same goes for finding out whether the WiFi is free.
Some others provide limited or unlimited Internet in Business and First class. Price plans may be volume-based or volume- and time-based. In any case, Internet in the sky is not likely to be cheap.
Click here to join our channel ieexplained and stay updated with the latest. Technology and laws allow calls to be made from aircraft, but many airlines do not want noisy cabins.
A TRAI paper from a couple of years ago said over 30 airlines offer onboard connectivity. Click here to join our channel indianexpress and stay updated with the latest headlines. Fact Check: How will in-flight WiFi work? No towers, no signals. That means when you're flying over large bodies of water, above mountains, or passing over countries with cell towers that restrict WiFi access, you probably won't get any WiFi.
So, what about satellites? The big dome-shaped antenna on top of the plane will pick up signals from the satellites. These satellite-based systems will either use Ku-band or Ka-band connections, which is similar to 3G versus 4G. There's a whole debate on whether Ku or Ka band is better, but they're both way faster than ATG systems. But when you're sharing internet with a couple hundred other people, traveling miles per hour, 36, feet in the air, there's bound to be a hiccup or two.
But towers versus satellite isn't the only thing that affects whether you'll be able to stream this week's episode of "The Bachelor" or not. The quality and price of your in-flight WiFi actually depend on four more things: your airline, aircraft, the in-flight Wi-Fi provider, and the region you're traveling to and from. First of all, in an effort to cut costs, some airlines, like Frontier, don't even offer WiFi. But just because the airline offers WiFi doesn't mean your plane supports it.
Some aircraft aren't even built with WiFi capabilities. Then there's the provider. They all offer different speeds, which is crucial for watching those meltdowns in HD. And lastly, you'll need to factor in your route. If you're flying over a lot of mountains or an ocean, there probably won't be many towers along the way.
And if the plane isn't equipped to receive satellite internet, you'll be completely out of luck. For a while, Hawaiian Airlines didn't want to invest in in-flight WiFi because the technology along their flight paths crossing the Pacific Ocean was sparse, but communication companies are launching new satellites, and Hawaiian is rethinking the investment.
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