In-flight Wi-Fi in SA a step closer

South African jet-setters no longer have to forgo Internet connectivity, e-mail communication, SMS-services and even IPTV at 35,000 feet.

WirelessG announced today that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has approved WirelessG & Row 44’s application to install its in-flight Wi-Fi enabling equipment onboard South African Commercial Aircraft.

This will enable WirelessG to operate its G-Connect broadband services aboard commercial aircraft in South African skies.

“Although we still await quality assurance of the final installation, the CAA is proud to announce its consent for the use of this technology in South Africa especially as it is a South African company that will exclusively offer the service,” said Subash Devkaran, Senior Manager: Aircraft Certification at CAA.

“Given the fact that it was an extensive process to get the technology approved by various authorities, this consent by the CAA can be seen as the most critical. It finally provides certainty and credibility to all stakeholders involved, ” said Carel van der Merwe, Chief Executive Officer of WirelessG.

“The WirelessG in-flight initiative became a critical success factor in our long term strategy that was already initiated in 2008. The launch of in-flight Wi-Fi will solidify our position as a unique broadband provider in the South African market.”

Carel van der Merwe

According to Devkaran, the in-flight STC allows for the use of any Wi-Fi enabled mobile device. GSM still has to be switched off when using dual-mode devices, but airlines equipped with this technology may now apply for special exemption from the CAA to accommodate the use of Wi-Fi only with such phones.

According to van der Merwe, 67% of the target market indicated that they will use the in-flight service.

Research indicates that 67% of in-flight Wi-Fi users will access a combination of business and social sites and that Facebook’s social network will dominate web surfing with 61% and Twitter 22% of traffic. Only 6% of travellers are expected to take an all-work-and-no-play approach.

“We are excited that the implementation of in-flight Wi-Fi is now set to proceed”, said van der Merwe.