SpaceX has started testing its in-flight Wi-Fi service provided by the Starlink division for commercial airlines, aiming to beam internet from its constellation of satellites onto airplanes. In June this year, SpaceX announced that it was in talks with several airlines to provide Starlink's satellite internet network for a faster in-flight Wi-Fi experience. However, the company didn't offer any details about the commercialization timeline for the project.
Later in June, SpaceX chief Elon Musk tweeted that SpaceX was in touch with airlines. The company was aiming to deliver low-latency internet connectivity with half-gigabit output in the air. At the moment, two of the biggest names in the industry are Viasat and Intelsat, both of which serve as satellite broadband providers for inflight Wi-Fi. However, two of the direct rivals to Starlink based on core infrastructure are the U.K.'s OneWeb and Telesat.
Starlink's VP Commercial Sales, Jonathan Hofeller, has now revealed that the company is "already testing the first version of its in-house antenna on aircraft," but again evaded providing a concrete timeline for commercial rollout. Speaking at the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX)/IFSA EXPO Thought Leadership conference, Hofeller mentioned that the company wants to offer its satellite internet service to airlines "as soon as possible," as per a Bloomberg report. An APEX blog post cites Hofeller and notes that "Starlink is going one-by-one to each country and that its ongoing work in disaster relief is speeding their entry into some markets." Compared to the established players in the in-flight connectivity (IFC) market, Starlink has one key advantage with its satellite internet approach.
Existing stakeholders rely on the internet beamed by satellites floating in the geostationary orbit. Starlink, on the other hand, will offer internet connectivity from its constellation of satellites in the lower Earth orbit. Hofeller had previously claimed that the Starlink receiver antennas installed on airplanes would be a derivative of the existing ground-based receivers that recently started popping up at Tesla charger stations as well. One of the biggest concerns with aircraft installation is the durability aspect of satellite internet receivers. Interestingly, an FCC application that was unearthed earlier this year shed some light on mobile receivers that will be a lot more durable when it comes to operating at "greater extremes of heat and cold."
Another advantage that Starlink boasts over its rivals is in the sheer numbers game. Hofeller mentioned at the APEX conference that Starlink already commands a group of LEO satellites whose number is ten times that of today's geostationary satellites. While a definite date for market discovery remains unknown, the Starlink executive revealed that the company is operating a fleet of 1,800 satellites spread across 20 countries to date. However, Starlink's ambitions might come to a halt owing to Starship rocket engine issues, something so grave that CEO Elon Musk feared would push SpaceX to the brink of bankruptcy.
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