Inmarsat signs 10 year deal with Lufthansa to provide in-flight wifi
Inmarsat, London's very own rocket-launching satellite communications company, has signed a 10 year deal with Lufthansa, Europe's largest airline, to provide high-speed internet across all its European airline fleet.
Under the agreement, Inmarsat will connect more than 150 Lufthansa aeroplanes to its Global Xpress (GX) satellite network, the first of which should be ready to go by early summer 2016.
This will provide wifi connectivity as fast as it is on the ground, allowing passengers to stream videos, work, shop online and Skype mid-air.
The partnership was first announced last month, as part of the Inmarsat's pan-European satellite plan, which it says will offer in-flight broadband with 10 times the bandwidth of its US rivals.
The rest of the Lufthansa group fleet, including Germanwings planes, will be fitted out with Inmarsat technology in due course.
Leo Mondale, president of Inmarsat Aviation, said:
We are very pleased to conclude this strategic agreement with Lufthansa Group, which ensures that Lufthansa will be offering their continental fleet passengers the best in-flight connectivity in the airline industry today.
With Inmarsat’s next generation connectivity services Lufthansa Group will offer in-flight broadband connectivity that allows its European passengers to browse the internet, watch videos, connect to their company’s Virtual Private Network (VPN) and download files all with a reliable connection that matches the quality and speed that they expect when they’re on the ground.
Inmarsat's share price took off too, up 2.82 per cent, or 26 points, in afternoon trading.