Elon Musk's Starlink Joins Hands With Qatar Airways For MENA's First Complimentary Wi-Fi Service On Select Flights

Qatar Airways announced on Thursday its partnership with Elon Musk‘s Starlink to begin offering complimentary Wi-Fi on three of its Boeing 777-300 aircraft by the fourth quarter of this year. The announcement was made at the Aircraft Interior Expo in Hamburg, Germany.

What Happened: The airline plans to extend this high-speed, low-latency Wi-Fi technology to its entire modern fleet within the next two years. This initiative aims to enhance the passenger experience by providing ultra-high-speed connectivity of up to 500 Megabit per second per plane.

The collaboration with Starlink, operated by SpaceX, marks a significant milestone for Qatar Airways as the first airline in the MENA region to offer such a service.

Mike Nicolls, Vice President of Starlink Engineering at SpaceX, commented, "High-speed, low-latency internet is the future of aviation connectivity, and we're excited to work with Qatar Airways to start flying Starlink on their fleet by the end of this year."

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Passengers will be able to access internet-based services such as video streaming, online gaming, and enriched web browsing with a “one-click-access” onboard.

Why It Matters: The introduction of Starlink Wi-Fi on Qatar Airways flights is a significant development in the aviation industry. This collaboration comes at a time when Starlink has been making strides in expanding its services globally. Recently, Starlink made its dish available in monthly installments, making it more accessible to a broader audience.

Moreover, Starlink is projected to generate $6.6 billion in revenue this year, highlighting the growing demand for satellite internet services. This collaboration with Qatar Airways aligns with Starlink’s expansion strategy, which recently saw it gaining approval to operate in its 100th country, an African nation with only 35% internet penetration.

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Image via Shutterstock

This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari