Sky-Fi

Australia’s internet context drives Qantas-ViaSat deal

Qantas is to be the first Australian airline to offer full inflight internet connectivity to passengers across its domestic Boeing 737-800 fleet and Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The Flying Kangaroo is working with US satellite provider ViaSat to use part of the capacity from the National Broadband Network’s Sky Muster Ka-band satellite to connect over Australia, with slower Ku-band services also intended to be available when the A330-200s fly into Asia and Honolulu.

Partner airlines of both Qantas and Virgin Australia already offer connectivity into Australia, either through Inmarsat’s slow SwiftBroadband L-band service or Panasonic Avionics’ slightly faster Ku-band system. Qantas’s domestic system should be significantly faster than either.