Inflight Internet takes a giant leap this week with a triple-speed upgrade from sky-high service provider Gogo.
The new system, which is rolling out on selected Delta, Virgin America and US Airways flights, boosts peak speeds to 10Mbps – that's about the same as an average home ADSL connection – while also doubling overall network capacity so support more users per plane.
Read: our review of Gogo on a Virgin American flight
"The demand was rapidly exceeding our capacity, particularly on longer, more business-oriented flights" says Gogo CEO Michael Small.
Gogo says the service will reach American Airlines and United PS cross-country flights next year, and by year's end will be fitted to some 600 hundred domestic US aircraft.
Gogo's technology relies on aircraft beaming signals to and from cellular base stations on the ground, rather than slower and more expensive satellite-based systems.
The upgrade includes two new high-efficiency antenna fitted to each plane, along with a second wireless modem to spread the load.
However, Gogo will continue to block bandwidth-sucking apps such as video chat and streaming media.
Gogo has also revamped its pricing structure, lifting the cost of access for the duration of a flight but also introducing new time-based passes for 30 minutes or 60 minutes of sky-high surfing.
Follow Australian Business Traveller on Twitter: you'll find us @AusBT.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Gogo triples inflight Internet speeds to 10Mbps