Gogo’s Global Wi-Fi Study Points Eastward
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APEX Insight: Paired with recent partnership announcements, findings from Gogo’s global study on in-flight Wi-Fi suggest that the US-based Wi-Fi provider is taking a hard look eastward, where the connectivity market is shaping up for a boom. But Gogo’s not the only company with its sights set on the Asia-Pacific region.
Published today, Gogo’s 2016 global study on in-flight Wi-Fi and entertainment reveals a growing demand for connectivity on flights – especially outside North America. The survey compiles data from participants who have flown in the past 12 months, from 19 countries worldwide. “What’s surprising to us is that the demand is actually higher outside of the US and Canada, where we are just scratching the surface in terms of connecting planes,” says Ash ElDifrawi, Gogo’s chief commercial officer.
Within the US and Canada, 75 percent of travelers indicated that they are interested in using connectivity, versus 86 percent elsewhere.
The study finds that within the US and Canada, 75 percent of travelers indicated that they are interested in using connectivity, versus 86 percent elsewhere. The study refreshes the in-flight connectivity provider’s 2015 findings, which found that 83 percent of international travelers and 75 percent of US air travelers were interested in in-flight Wi-Fi – figures indicative of a slight increase in demand globally.
Gogo provides its own reasons for the marked interest in connectivity abroad, namely the over-saturation of the North American market and the opposite scenario elsewhere in the world. Recent research from Euroconsult, a privately-owned global consulting firm that specializes in space markets, shows that the market anticipating the most growth in in-flight connectivity is the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region – a region where the connectivity provider has been making slow gains, such as its recently announced partnership with China’s Shareco Technologies to equip 50 aircraft with Wi-Fi, or its recent capacity agreement across Intelsat’s globalized network. In September last year, Japan Transocean Air, a member of the Japan Airlines group, awarded its new 737-800 aircraft to Gogo for installation of its 2Ku in-flight connectivity solution.
Is the US-based connectivity provider shifting its focus toward the eastward skies? Perhaps, but it’s not the only one. With the launch of ViaSat-3 looming, it’s likely that similar announcements will follow the satellite company’s first deal in the region with Qantas, inked this February. And with Inmarsat’s Global Xpress network ready for service, more contracts will surely add to the provider’s regional customer portfolio, which already includes Singapore Airlines and Jeju Air.
In addition to regional findings, Gogo’s survey results show that Wi-Fi availability is of growing importance to passengers when making their bookings, and there is a preference among travelers for Android devices over Apple, with 65 percent opting for Android on mobile and 50 percent for Android tablets.