Telecom major Bharti Airtel announced that it has joined the ‘Seamless Alliance,’ with OneWeb, Airbus, Delta and Sprint with the aim to provide in-flight uninterrupted access to high speed data services to its customers. According to a press release by Artel, member operators, including Airtel, will be able to continuously provide their customers – via satellite technology – the same high speed, low latency connectivity from ground, to air and back again. Further, the latest technology will also significantly reduce costs for everyone involved while creating a smooth, positive user-experience.
‘Seamless Alliance’ which includes OneWeb, Airbus, Delta and Sprint, was formed in Barcelona on Monday, Airtel said. The global alliance aims to attract additional industry operators beyond the five founding members and will eliminate the immense costs and hurdles commonly associated with acquisition, installation, and operation of data access infrastructure, says the release.
Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India & South Asia) of Bharti Airtel said that the new innovative technology platform aims to bring seamless connectivity to customers in the true sense. “Over 370 million mobile customers across Airtel’s global network will be able to enjoy uninterrupted access to high speed data services even while they are in-flight. We look forward to collaborating with all partner members to ensure this platform goes LIVE at the earliest,” Gopal Vittal said. Notably, Airtel is the third largest mobile operator in the world with operations in 16 countries across Asia and Africa.
Greg Wyler, Founder and Executive Chairman of OneWeb said that the partnership aims to provide the best internet experience in air to customers. “Keeping this goal in mind, together, we will enable an affordable and frictionless experience for passengers everywhere,” he said.
Marc Fontaine, Airbus Digital Transformation Officer noted that an easy-to-use, high-speed connectivity is part of the next revolution in aerospace. “We’re excited to create this seamless experience for our airline customers and their passengers. As we showed with our Skywise aviation data platform, Airbus is committed to innovation that creates value across the aviation industry,” he said.