U.S. carrier AT&T plans to launch a 4G LTE-based in-flight connectivity service for airlines and passengers in commercial, business and general aviation.

U.S. carrier AT&T plans to launch a 4G LTE-based in-flight connectivity service for airlines and passengers in commercial, business and general aviation. The service, planned to be available as soon as late 2015, will be capable of providing in-flight broadband for customers including fast, reliable Wi-Fi and onboard entertainment. 

To deliver this new service, AT&T plans to build an air-to-ground network in the continental United States, based on LTE standards, to provide fast speeds and efficient utilization of spectrum already owned by AT&T. 

AT&T plans to work with Honeywell to provide hardware and service capabilities to deliver the in-flight connectivity solution. According to AT&T, its in-flight connectivity also offers the potential for improved communications between the plane and the ground through transmission of real-time aircraft data for optimizing, monitoring and evolving airlines’ operations.