Plane/Train: Has the Wi-Fi problem been permanently solved with Starlink?

It’s a revolution that will benefit transportation: enjoying very high-speed Internet connection, even at 10,000 meters altitude.

Imagine the scene: you are above the Pacific, at 10,000 meters altitude, thousands of kilometers from the first inhabited land, flying at 950 km/h. Yet, you are watching your Netflix series live or playing a real-time online video game against other opponents.

This is made possible by the satellite communication network of Elon Musk, Starlink, currently being deployed. A constellation of thousands of small satellites is placed into low Earth orbit to cover all the white zones of the planet, from the Creuse (humor) to the North Pole or the Gobi Desert. This raises geopolitical issues (the Ukrainian army relies heavily on this network) and concerns about interference.

Starlink allows for a bandwidth greater than 25 Mbps. In France, the antenna communicating with the satellites costs about 300 euros, plus a monthly plan of 40 euros.

But Starlink goes even further with its new offering for airlines: Starlink Aviation. For each aircraft, the bandwidth will be 350 Mbps via an antenna installed on the top of the fuselage. Naturally, questions about in-flight security and the possibility of hacking or remotely triggering an explosive device arise. Paranoia may make some passengers even more anxious.

Hawaiian Airlines has already begun testing and certification phases for its trans-Pacific flights between Los Angeles and the island state.

This technological breakthrough could also trigger a complete overhaul of in-flight experiences and cabin equipment. Seats with integrated screens and all the necessary electronic systems are very heavy and energy-consuming. These two factors greatly impact fuel consumption and the resulting polluting emissions of each aircraft.

Starlink could enable a massive weight reduction and also lower the cost of an aircraft. In short, the Internet revolution is much bigger than we think! And finally, it will become possible to work while on a high-speed train…

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