Cabinet approval has been granted to obtain high-speed internet for seven SriLankan Airlines flights.
SriLankan Airlines Limited at present operates a fleet of 13 aircraft with internet facilities enabling passengers to use Wi-Fi and GSM services on their mobile phones in -flight.
As passengers have to use low internet speed with the outdated internet facilities existing on the airline at present, there is a requirement to provide fast internet, the Government said.
Ka and Ku bands are used for high-end connections, and due to the availability of a high frequency range, the Ka-band provides high speed data transfer. Therefore, it has been identified that Ka-band connections are more suitable for internet access, other structured services and other activities that require huge amounts of data.
A proposal presented by Viasat institute, the only supplier to give Ka-band connectivity providing hardware, software and internet facilities with global coverage for commercial aircraft, has been appraised by the Technical Evaluation Committee and the Standing Procurement Committee appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal presented by the Minister of Ports, shipping and Aviation to award the contract to Viasat Inc. to obtain Ka-band high-speed satellite technical internet connectivity for seven (7) A330-300 aircraft of SriLankan Airlines Limited for a period of seven years. (Colombo Gazette)