Itasca-based Aircell, which provides inflight Wi-Fi on airlines, said Thursday that it is upgrading its service and will introduce technology enabling international service by 2015.
Aircell’s Gogo Wi-Fi service is available on a number of carriers, including United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. It currently uses a land-based system, where base stations connect with Wi-Fi hotspots on aircraft. Passengers can buy the service on their flight, accessing the Web on laptops or mobile devices.
The company said it will improve its air-to-ground network and bump up per-aircraft capacity by about four times, allowing for faster connections. This upgraded technology will be available in the first half of 2012 and is backwards compatible with the systems on aircraft.
Aircell also said it is rolling out satellite technology that will enable Gogo service in the continental U.S. by 2013 and globally by 2015, providing Wi-Fi to passengers on international flights. This move further ups the rivalry between Aircell and Row 44, which provides a satellite-based Wi-Fi service in use by Southwest Airlines.
More than 6,000 business and commercial aircraft have Aircell technology, the company said.
Good move from AirCell. it will be more convenient for their passengers this new upgrade of Aircell in their services. Passengers will enjoyed more their flight as they used the Wi-Fi. Everyone is now talking about the new messaging system that can be used while in flight. Check this site for more info. Quite Interesting! Link: http://www.inflightmessenger.com