Singapore Airlines will provide Wi-Fi and GSM passenger connectivity on its long-haul fleets, using OnAir's connectivity services operating over Inmarsat's (News - Alert) SwiftBroadband.

The program allows passengers to use their Wi-Fi and GSM/GPRS-enabled smartphones, tablets and laptops PCs for Internet access, e-mail, Instant Messaging and SMS messaging

Giving details, officials with Inmarsat said that following an introductory launch earlier in the year, inflight connectivity is now available on 14 Singapore Airlines aircraft, including all five Airbus A340-500s which are deployed on the world's longest non-stop flights, between Singapore and both Newark and Los Angeles, as well as on Airbus A380-800s.

It will also be available on the airline's Boeing (News - Alert) B777-300ERs.

According to company officials, Inmarsat SwiftBroadband is specifically designed to provide reliable and ubiquitous high data rate IP-based satellite communications coverage, to enable inflight connectivity for airlines and their passengers across the world.

Company officials said that SwiftBroadband already delivers multiple channels of IP communications to aircraft and Inmarsat will continue to evolve the service in terms of bandwidth and applications in the coming months, further enhancing the business benefits of SwiftBroadband and giving its airline customers the competitive edge.

"Inmarsat welcomes Singapore Airlines as a SwiftBroadband customer. Singapore Airlines is one of the most prominent architects of the modern in-flight experience. The fact that this industry leader selected SwiftBroadband is a great testament to what can be achieved, now, with this much-trusted platform,” said David Coiley, vice president, aviation, Inmarsat, in a statement.

Coiley said that among the key strengths of SwiftBroadband are the consistency and reliability of the service, and its ubiquity, enabling passengers on SwiftBroadband-enabled aircraft to get connected wherever they are in the world.

“It sounds obvious to say, but airlines want to provide the same level of service wherever they are flying. Secondly, SwiftBroadband provides the optimum balance between quality of the passenger experience, and the best investment case for the airline," he said. 

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