- FlyNet: broadband connection on intercontinental Lufthansa routes
- "Flying hotspot" successfully launched in December 2010
- Commercial WiFi offering has started
- Another step en route to a gigabit society
Fly, surf, e-mail: Commercial marketing of the broadband Internet service that Lufthansa offers on intercontinental routes in partnership with Telekom and Panasonic Avionics began in February. In the short time since the commercial phase started, air passengers have continued to display a high level of interest in the service, and they have been impressed by its technical capabilities and reliability. With this "celestial" expansion of its hotspot service, Telekom is reaffirming its intention to enable connected life and work just about everywhere, anytime. Many passengers can now enjoy seamless mobile Internet coverage along major international routes, allowing them to check e‑mails or access the corporate network via a VPN (Virtual Private Network), for example. Passengers' excitement about the new in-flight WiFi service has not dampened since the end of the free trial period; probably because of download speeds of up to 5 Mbit/s. On average, data volumes of around 2.35 GB and 250 MB were downloaded and uploaded, respectively, per flight. "The continued high level of interest in the new wireless services affirms our strategy. We want to offer our customers a fourth-generation mobile Internet experience that delivers high speed independently of which technology is available at the time of use, thus providing simplicity and outstanding service. Easy access via WiFi plays an important role in the 4G experience, whether at home, at points of interest or even on trains and planes, making long trips feel much shorter." notes Olivier Baujard, Chief Technology Officer at Deutsche Telekom.A Lufthansa survey confirmed these figures: Users consistently expressed great satisfaction with the service. FlyNet offers Lufthansa passengers unlimited Internet access at 30,000 feet via a Telekom hotspot. It can be used with WiFi-enabled notebooks and suitably equipped smartphones such as iPhones and BlackBerry devices. Available throughout the cabin, the service offers extremely fast connections. Even large attachments can be sent and received quickly, without delays. A satellite link connects the aircraft to the World Wide Web. Lufthansa is the first airline to offer its customers broadband Internet access on intercontinental flights with FlyNet in cooperation with its strategic partner Telekom and technology leader Panasonic Avionics Corporation. FlyNet is currently available on selected Lufthansa North Atlantic routes. By the end of 2011 it will be available on nearly the entire Lufthansa long-haul network. Telekom customers can use in-flight Internet within the terms of their contract for EUR 1.79 / 10 minutes. Other passengers are also able to use the service. They can pay by credit card, via their provider if their provider is a WiFi roaming partner of Telekom, or by redeeming Miles & More award miles.The standard credit card offer costs EUR 10.95 for one hour or EUR 19.95 for 24‑hour access, which customers can purchase onboard and continue to use in Lufthansa lounges or on connecting Lufthansa long-haul flights which are FlyNet-equipped. Telekom launched its WiFi service in 2002 and currently operates more than 8,000 hotspot locations in Germany with some 44,000 worldwide. In Germany these include mobile hotspots onboard 72 InterCity Express (ICE) trains operated by Deutsche Bahn. By offering WiFi, Telekom wants to make it possible for its customers to access the Internet anywhere, anytime - thereby realizing its vision of connected life and work. In addition to Telekom’s mobile customers, the service is also available to private and business users who are not Telekom customers.
About Deutsche Telekom AG Deutsche Telekom is one of the world's leading integrated telecommunications companies, with over 129 million mobile customers, around 37 million fixed-network lines and approximately 16 million broadband lines (as of September 30, 2010). The Group provides fixed network, mobile communications, Internet and IPTV products and services for consumers and ICT solutions for business and corporate customers. Deutsche Telekom is present in around 50 countries and has over 250,000 employees worldwide. The Group generated revenue of EUR 64.6 billion in the 2009 financial year - over half of it outside Germany (as of December 31, 2009).