Doesn't Work On Water

However, this system can’t work when the plane is flying over large expanses of water, like on transatlantic routes. That’s where satellite comes in.

Satellite WiFi uses a network of orbiting satellites to allow a connection. The satellite is linked to ground stations, and the airplane connects using a satellite antenna on the top of the fuselage. Again, the plane uses whichever satellite is nearest as it travels. Satellite WiFi operates on two different bandwidths: narrowband and broadband. Both allow passengers full Internet access though broadband is better.

There are two operating systems for airplane WiFi: ground-based and satellite. Air-to-ground WiFi works in a similar way to your cell phone. Airplanes have an antenna located underneath their body, which ...