In-flight Mobile and Wi-Fi Services Challenges

1.17 billion airline passengers traveled on 13,700 aircraft in 2005.

Due to rapid growth in the Chinese and Indian economies and rebounding North American and European airline markets, the number of passengers is expected to grow to 1.63 billion by 2014 on 19,600 aircraft. And yet, until 2004 neither mobile communications nor Wi-Fi was permitted on board aircraft.

 That is starting to change. Wi-Fi has been installed on aircraft by Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and Austrian Airlines. Legislative reviews of inflight mobile communications are taking place in 2006 which are likely to permit mobile communications on aircraft. This study provides a comprehensive review and assessment of this complex but potentially lucrative market’s promise.

What Does This Report Answer? What regulatory bottlenecks must be overcome for this market to take off? What vendors, service providers/integrators, airlines and telecom satellite backhaul providers make up the inflight mobile communications and Wi-Fi value-chain?

Who are the key players and what are their technical solutions? How many mobile communications and Wi-Fi-enabled aircraft, flight roll-outs, mobile communications and Wi-Fi sessions, and service revenues per flight, will this market provide? What are the capital expenditure forecasts?

What assumptions and drivers quantify the market potential? Who Needs This Report? Airlines Service Providers/Integrators/Vendors Satellite Telecom operators Consultants/Investment Companies Mobile Operators