SITA OnAir is expecting “heavy” customer demand for its newly announced 3.5G in-flight mobile network service, particularly in the Middle East.
Stephan Egli, commercial regional vice-president for the EMEA region at SITA OnAir, says the Mobile OnAir 3.5G service – which will enter service with an unnamed launch customer in the fourth quarter of this year – offers a key benefit to business aviation operators. Fees for using the service are added straight to the passenger’s monthly mobile phone bill, meaning the aircraft operator “does not get involved”.
But will this result in any nasty shocks for passengers when they receive their bills? Egli says not. “The cost is similar to roaming charges when you’re in a different country,” he says.
The user experience also mirrors that on the ground, in that “the phone turns on, looks for the network, finds it and connects”.
Demand is particularly strong in the Middle East because commercial airlines in the region commonly offer both a GSM and Wi-Fi service on board, so this is what the market has come to expect.
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Source: Flight Daily News
