Inmarsat announced on Thursday that it is looking to bring high-speed Wi-Fi to European flights to provide fliers with fast internet connections.
The London-based satellite services operator is set to release the 4G service in 2016, about a year after AT&T is expected to release a similar service in the U.S., according to CNN.
British Airways is talking with Inmarsat about the possibility of using the service. Due to slow speeds and low demand from consumers, Wi-Fi isn't currently offered on the airway's flights in Europe.
Inmarsat plans to provide Internet connections to flights across all member states of the European Union (EU) with a new S-band satellite called Europsat, Inquirer reported. The company claims that Europsat will also be able to support next generation emergency network services for disaster relief and public protection.
Inmarsat said it had "already commenced the licensing process with EU Member States in order to allow timely deployment of the new aviation services." The company added that it had already received "strong support" from EU regulators.
A British Airways spokesperson said that once stronger 4G speeds become available, there will be more demand for in-flight access to the Internet, CNN reported.
Kate Thornton, head of product and service at British Airways, said this type of service would give "our customers the Internet access they expect on the ground while in the air."
Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat, said support from EU regulators will help the company "rapidly bring to market unique, high speed aviation passenger connectivity services to meet this market demand on an EU-wide basis," Inquirer reported.
Pearce added that British Airways may be one of the first companies to offer in-flight Wi-Fi.
"A number of European airlines are aligned with this vision and we are absolutely delighted to announce advanced discussions with British Airways to be a launch customer on our new aviation network," he said.
