Qantas has partnered with global broadband services provider ViaSat to offer its passengers complimentary inflight wifi next year. The new service will feature speeds up to ten times faster than conventional on-board wifi, allowing business travellers the chance to stream movies, TV shows and the latest news bulletins on its domestic flights.

Under the deal, ViaSat will provide Qantas with connectivity between the aircraft and the high capacity KA-band satellite and ground stations, which will then provide a link to the internet. In-flight trials are expected to begin with a single Qantas Boeing 737 aircraft in late 2016. A full roll-out across Qantas domestic’s fleet of A330s and B737s is planned from early 2017.

“Bringing high-speed wifi to the domestic aviation market has been an ambition of ours for a long time and we now have access to the right technology to make it happen,” says Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. “The sheer size of the Australian landmass creates some significant challenges for inflight connectivity but the recent launch of nbn’s satellite has opened up new opportunities that we plan to take advantage of with ViaSat’s help.”

Qantas is also examining options for high-speed wifi across its international and regional fleet. www.qantas.com.au