Bharti Airtel joins global alliance to bring in-flight data connectivity

Country's largest telecom player Bharti Airtel has joined a global collaboration to bring high-speed and uninterrupted in-flight data connectivity to mobile customers.

Called 'Seamless Alliance', the global collaboration which also has OneWeb, Airbus, Delta and Sprint as its members, was announced in Barcelona on Monday at the Mobile World Congress.

The alliance will work towards leveraging satellite technology to offer high-speed data connectivity to mobile users even when they are up in the air, according to an Airtel statement.

"Airtel has joined the Seamless Alliance which will usher in a new era of open innovation for mobile operators and airlines by empowering mobile operators to extend their services into airline cabins," the statement added.

The alliance will also look at bringing into its fold other industry operators beyond the five founding members. It will eliminate the immense costs and hurdles commonly associated with acquisition, installation, and operation of data access infrastructure. This will be done by streamlining system integration and certification, providing open specifications for interoperability, increasing accessibility for passengers and enabling simple and integrated billing, the statement said.

"We are delighted to be a founding member of this innovative technology platform to bring seamless connectivity to customers in the true sense," Gopal Vittal, CEO (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel, said in a statement.

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, he said. Airtel is the third largest mobile operator in the world with operations in 16 countries across Asia and Africa.

"We look forward to collaborating with all partner members to ensure this platform goes live at the earliest," Vittal said.

Greg Wyler, founder and executive chairman of OneWeb, said, "What if the best internet you ever experienced was in the air? Keeping this goal in mind, together, we will enable an affordable and frictionless experience for passengers everywhere. With the launch of our first production satellites set for later this year, we are one step closer to bridging the global digital divide on land and in the air."