Panasonic Avionics is launching an inflight wi-fi roaming service with SK Telink and its roaming gateway of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). The Passpoint service is expected to rollout to customers flying on select Korean Air Boeing 777-300ER and A350-900 aircraft in April 2025.
Passpoint wi-fi roaming during flights, which is uniquely offered in flight by Panasonic Avionics, will enable passengers to connect to inflight wi-fi using existing mobile phone plans, eliminating the need for separate subscriptions or complex logins.
Panasonic Avionics said that by leveraging its connectivity technology and MNOs’ subscriber authentication solutions, passengers will be able to transition from terrestrial to airborne networks easily and seamlessly.
Panasonic Avionics’ service works by authenticating the passenger’s device onto the wi-fi network using its SIM credentials or app-based credentials, with the passenger paying their home mobile network provider.
“At Panasonic Avionics, our goal is to take the friction out of inflight wi-fi, and let passengers walk on to an aircraft and immediately be connected,” said John Wade, VP of connectivity at Panasonic Avionics. “Passpoint wi-fi roaming represents a significant opportunity for the airline sector to enhance their passenger experience, and we salute Korean Air’s market-leading approach in being the first to adopt this innovation we are introducing. Our new service provides a viable path for airlines to offset the costs associated with offering wi-fi to passengers, while delivering a connection experience for passengers that is easy and intuitive.”
“As a global roaming gateway of MNOs, SK Telink looks forward to working with both Panasonic Avionics and our network of mobile operators to make inflight wi-fi services available on even more flights with airlines around the world,” said Sung-Chul Lee, SVP of global business at SK Telink.
Panasonic Avionics, leveraging its experience of connecting MNOs to inflight connectivity (IFC), will handle the technical, commercial and billing needs of connecting mobile operators to IFC, allowing airlines to focus on their core business, in cooperation with SK Telink and its roaming gateway of MNOs.
