TEHRAN – The Iranian airlines will be equipped with satellite WiFi in the near future, the head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) announced, Mehr reported on Sunday.

Morteza Barari said that the ISA and the Civil Aviation Organization have held several meetings in order to meet the needs of passengers for the internet.

“According to the agreements, the aviation organization will provide an airplane for the space agency for testing the inflight WiFi,” he noted.

The inflight WiFi is totally different from base transceiver station (BTS) that is provided by some operators, he said, adding, BTS cannot provide good coverage during flights.

BTS is a piece of equipment that facilitates wireless communication between the user equipment and a network.

How does inflight WiFi work?

According to the Reader’s Digest, having to switch your devices off on airplanes is frustrating, especially when you’re on a business trip and need to stay in touch with the office or flying solo with kids on a long-haul journey. The good news is that wireless internet access is becoming available on more and more airlines in place of traditional inflight entertainment.

Satellite WiFi uses a network of orbiting satellites to allow the connection. The satellite is linked to ground stations, and the airplane connects using a satellite antenna on the top of the fuselage. Again, the plane uses whichever satellite is nearest as it travels. Satellite WiFi operates on two different bandwidths: narrowband and broadband. Both allow passengers full internet access, although the narrower options are less suitable for streaming movies.

SB/MG