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Airlines in 30 European countries will be able to offer passengers complimentary connectivity soon, thanks to the European Aviation Network. Test flights have reportedly gone well, providing speeds exceeding 75 mbps with less than 100 ms of latency.
The network was borne of a collaboration between Inmarsat plc, Deutsche Telekom AG and Nokia. It integrates S-band coverage from Inmarsat satellites with approximately 300 Deutsche Telekom satellite towers providing terrestrial 4G LTE with the aim of providing seamless network access to passengers throughout their voyage.
The ground towers are located in all 28 European Union member states as well as Switzerland and Norway. It is expected to start being available in the first half of 2018, with International Airlines Group — comprised of such airlines as British Airways and Aer Lingus — already installing European Aviation Network equipment in preparation for the program’s launch.