Posted: 11th May, 2009 By: MarkJ
The latest research from
In-Stat reveals that the number of broadband enabled airplanes stood at just 25 by the end of 2008. However, this figure is expected to jump by the end of this year to 800 and generate worldwide passenger revenue of approximately £32.4m. Furthermore, by 2012 the emerging in-flight broadband market will have grown to be worth £661m ($1bn)!
“The market is clearly gaining momentum, with deployments escalating in number,” says Daryl Schoolar, In-Stat analyst. “However, in-flight broadband faces challenges, however, by the struggling economy and competing non-traditional IFE solutions.”
In-Stat forecasts over 200 million annual in-flight broadband connections by 2013, with long-haul connects dominating over short-haul connects. Connections from handheld devices will account for about 1 in every 3 connections, with notebook computers accounting for two thirds of those.