Elon Musk’s Starlink is partnering with an airline to change the Wi-Fi game
Elon Musk and the CEO of Qatar Airways Group discussed Starlink via video call using the airline’s in-flight Starlink Wi-Fi technology. (Credit: Qatar Airways)
Qatar Airways rolled out Starlink Wi-Fi for the first time on one of its flights earlier this week.
A Boeing 777 jet completed a long-haul flight from Doha to London on Tuesday, making it the first airline to launch satellite-based internet from SpaceX’s Elon Musk-led Starlink.
“Starlink is now live on the 777 for the first time and will soon be available to all passengers flying @QatarAirways!” Starlink said in a Tuesday X post about the first flight.
In this photo illustration, the American satellite internet constellation and a subsidiary of the aerospace company SpaceX owned and operated by Elon Musk, Starlink, logo is seen displayed on a smartphone with a graph of the economic stock exchange index (Photos by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Qatar’s first Starlink-equipped aircraft and aircraft are part of a move by the airline to introduce the technology across its fleet and offer passengers, according to the carrier.
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The airline said in a press release that it is “the largest carrier and the first in the MENA region to offer passengers Starlink ultra-high-speed, low-latency internet.”
Other carriers such as United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Air France and Air New Zealand have also partnered with Starlink to provide Wi-Fi. Some cruise ships use Starlink.
Musk and Qatar Airways Group CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer talked about Starlink during a video call using the Starlink in-flight internet. Al Meer was on the air during the call, along with the Chairman of Qatar Tourism, Saad Bin Ali Al Kharji. Qatar Airways provided video of the call to FOX Business.
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The CEO of SpaceX told them he thinks they’ll “get it [Starlink] it gets better and better” as his company continues to improve the service.
BOCA CHICA BEACH, TX – AUGUST 25: SpaceX founder Elon Musk during a joint T-Mobile and SpaceX event on August 25, 2022 in Boca Chica Beach, Texas. The two companies announced plans to jointly provide T-Mobile mobile service using Starlink (Photo by Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Qatar Airways said the Boeing 777 equipped with Starlink Wi-Fi “will operate on selected routes as the airline moves forward with its implementation plans.” Passengers can use the service for free.
Starlink will appear on Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300s before the end of the year, the airline said, marking an increase from its previous target of three.
Qatar Airways passengers can expect to see Starlink internet on all Boeing 777 aircraft by 2025, according to the carrier. Its Airbus A350 jets will receive it that summer.
The airline’s commercial fleet includes Airbus models such as A320s, A350s and A380s and Boeing models such as 777s, 737 MAXs and 787s, according to its website.
01 July 2024, Hamburg: IA 350 of Qatar Airways has arrived at Hamburg Airport after its first flight from Doha. Qatar Airways will operate daily flights between Hamburg and the Qatari capital Doha in the future. Photo: Georg Wendt/dpa (Photo (Georg Wendt/photo alliance via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Qatar Airways first unveiled its plans to install Starlink in-flight internet at the end of May.
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“High-speed, low-latency Internet is the future of aviation communications, and we’re excited to partner with Qatar Airways to begin flying Starlink on their fleet later this year,” Starlink Engineering Vice President Mike Nicolls said at the time. the time.
SpaceX’s satellite-based Internet service is used in more than 100 different countries by several million people, according to Starlink.
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