A new study from Juniper Research has found that the adoption of in-flight Wi-Fi by budget airlines will provide a boost to the connected IFE (in-flight entertainment) market, driving the number of connected commercial aircrafts to over 10,400 by 2020. This will represent over a threefold increase from an estimated 3,200 this year.
Juniper Research found that the decreasing costs of standalone in-flight Wi-Fi hardware, which will soon be offered as line-fit equipment by major aircraft manufacturers, will for the first time make connected IFE attractive to low-cost airlines flying short-haul routes.
The research also noted that rather than using traditional embedded seatback screens, many budget airlines are adopting the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) approach. Here, passengers are allowed to use their own devices on-board the aircraft to stream airline owned content, thereby reducing IFE hardware costs and weight. However, this BYOD trend raises important safety and security issues as the airlines have little control over these devices.
Meanwhile, the research observes that service providers are positioning themselves as end-to-end providers able to offer a full suite of connectivity, content and hardware offerings to their airline customers. Another important driver behind this growth is the increasing availability of Air-To-Ground (ATG) and satellite networks across the world.
Research author, Gareth Owen
Airlines must ensure that they address all types of risks, including that of a rogue passenger hacking into an aircraft’s avionic systems or servers, with potentially disastrous consequences.
