Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be the first airline to have live television from Connexion by Boeing, which has secured a contract to provide a broadband internet service on more than 40 of the carrier's aircraft.
SIA senior vice-president product and services Yap Kim Wah says the first aircraft to be fitted will be Boeing 747-400s, followed by Boeing 777s and then Airbus A340-500s. He declines to give the exact number of aircraft, but says it is more than 40.
Yap also says SIA plans to have the system installed on its Airbus A380s. It has 10 on firm order and is due to start taking delivery of the first in April 2006.
SIA aims to introduce the broadband service in the first quarter of 2005 on some 747-400s and by March "passengers on selected flights from Singapore to London will be among the first to try this new service. By the second quarter the in-flight broadband service will be available on all of SIA's Singapore to London flights," says Yap.
He says that by mid-2005 the service will include live television: initially four news channels, with a sports channel to be added later.
All these channels will use a player to facilitate the audio and video streaming and Connexion by Boeing is testing Real Networks' Real player and Microsoft's Media Player, but has yet to include Apple's QuickTime.
Passengers will initially need to have their own laptop computer to access the live television through broadband, but in "2006 all passengers on our broadband-equipped aircraft will be able to enjoy live television" using their "personal in-seat video screens", says Yap.
Connexion by Boeing senior vice-president Scott Carson says the identity of the international broadcasters that will provide content will be revealed in the "first quarter of next year".
Source: Flight International
