Providing Wi-Fi in airplanes can become a competitive advantage of airlines.

The number of commercial aircraft offering Wi-Fi services in flight will grow over the next five years. By 2022, about 14,5 thousand. Aircraft will be equipped with Wi-Fi connection. This year this figure will be slightly more than 5 000, according to the forecasts of Juniper Research, informs news. Eizvestia. Com.

Today, less than a quarter of commercial aircraft are equipped with Wi-Fi connection, although the demand for this service is growing all the time, according to Fortune. It is conditioned by the desire of people to constantly use their tablets and smartphones for work, games and surfing on the Internet. Thus, the provision of Wi-Fi in aircraft can become a competitive advantage of airlines.

This is also a profitable business for providers such as Gogo, which is used by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines. The cost of services is $ 7 / hour or $ 19 / day. Private carriers can make monthly and annual subscriptions.

Juniper Research also noted the increase in the number of airlines offering wireless in-flight streaming services, as an option to conventional entertainment systems for passengers. The agency forecasts that the monthly income from such streaming services will increase by 30%.

However, there is a serious problem in the development of these areas - security, which prompted the US government to introduce (and then cancel) the ban on laptops on passenger flights. This factor can significantly affect the development of services.

Another problem: simply having Wi-Fi in an airplane does not mean good communication quality. Often this is just the opposite. However, it is hoped that quality will improve along with the quantity.