United Airlines has announced that they have partnered with Starlink to provide free high speed wireless Internet access on board its flights in the next few years.
Starlink is a satellite internet service provider operating under the SpaceX umbrella. The low earth orbit network features at least 6,000 satellites each weighing about 1,250 kg (2,760 lb) each.
Unlike higher geostationary satellites which have a fixed position relative to their area of coverage, Starlink units make a loop around the earth once every 90 minutes in their respective orbits.
Now scale that up to 6,000+ units operating in criss-cross orbits, and suddenly you a mesh-like satellite network, providing high speed internet with much lower latency versus higher orbit competitors.
Thanks to this set up, those flying in the air can benefit from similar service to those on the ground, including being able to watch live streamed video content, play online video games, upload and download large work documents, and much more.
“Everything you can do on the ground, you’ll soon be able to do onboard a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,” said United CEO Scott Kirby. “This connectivity opens the door for an even better inflight entertainment experience, in every seatback – more content, that’s more personalized. United’s culture of innovation is, once again, delivering big for our customers.”
Free Starlink Wi-Fi rolling out from 2025
Credit: United AirlinesStarting in 2025, United will begin fitting Starlink units on its jets on a test basis, with plans to roll out service to at least 1,000 units (a mix of mainline and regional aircraft) within the next few years.
While this is great news, outfitting 1,000 airplanes is definitely a bit task, so it’s going to be some time before passengers can truly benefit from the upgrade.
United will also join others in adopting Starlink service such as Hawaiian, WestJet, Air New Zealand, JSX and others. With free Internet coming to the carrier, and with Delta and JetBlue already providing free Internet access, it’s only a matter of time before other U.S. brands cave and up their game.
Currently United’s service varies across aircraft types as they are partnered with four major providers including Gogo, Viasat, Panasonic and Thales.
Featured image: United Airlines
