Deutsche Telekom and Inmarsat have announced they will be working towards providing high-speed broadband in European airspace before 2017.
The two firms said they will partner up to provide in-flight connectivity to passengers on Europe's airlines using an LTE-based ground network and satellite network.
Lufthansa will be the first European hub airline to use the service, and is set to launch Wi-Fi on board its European flights in early summer 2016. Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges, said "this bold step will make Deutsche Telekom the first telecommunications operator to take the advantages of LTE technology to the European airspace."
He failed to mention exactly how irritating this new technology would be, however.
Gogo, which currently provides internet for US airlines like American Airlines and Delta, released stats on what people usually get up to when using the internet on planes. The somewhat ambiguous "surf the net" (no comment on what specifically one might suspect that might entail) is the most popular, followed by emailing, social media and checking sports scores.
In-flight Wi-Fi isn't unheard of in Europe. Norwegian Air already offers in-flight Wi-Fi on some routes, while Lufthansa customers can get connected on select long-haul routes.
The 'European Aviation Network' will eventually be available in all major European airline routes, allowing both commercial and business connectivity of equivalent quality to home broadband.
Updated 22/9/2015, 17:52: This article has been updated to note that Norwegian Air and others already provide in-flight Wi-Fi on some European flights.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
