First high-speed internet on planes from Musk's space company

Free and Fast Surfing in the Cabin: American airline United has signed a major industry-first agreement with Starlink, a part of billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX, to install Starlink's high-speed WiFi service on its main and regional aircraft fleets. Soon, United passengers will be able to enjoy high-speed browsing similar to what is available on the ground.

In recent years, internet has been installed on non-low-cost flights, but it is often slow and intermittent: Internet is usually available only upon reaching cruising altitude. While on the ground, speeds can reach hundreds of megabytes per second or more, in-flight speeds usually range between five and ten megabytes per second, and sometimes even less. Internet access on passenger planes is also often disrupted.

Several factors affect the low browsing speeds on planes: They use satellite communication technologies that provide lower speeds, which decrease further as the number of passengers using the internet at the same time increases. When the plane flies over remote areas or the ocean, the internet connection may be weaker and much slower.

The first high-speed internet of its kind to be installed on United's planes will allow passengers to enjoy new experiences in the skies on a scale that no airline has offered before. Passengers will be able to watch live TV and streaming broadcasts, browse social media, shop, and play computer games, both on seat-back screens and on mobile devices and tablets simultaneously, without limitations.

According to the agreement signed between United and Starlink, high-speed internet will be installed on over a thousand planes over the next few years. Testing will begin early next year, and the high-speed internet services will be free of charge.

Starlink provides high-speed broadband internet through satellites, mainly in remote and rural areas where ground internet infrastructure is insufficient, expensive, or unreliable. Download speeds range between 50 to 350 megabits per second, and upload speeds range between 10 to 40 megabits per second.