Broadband reaching for the sky

In-flight broadband will take off by 2010 according to Inmarsat, a satellite communications company.

The prediction was made after the company announced a 13 per cent rise in half-year pre-tax profits, reports the Telegraph.

Andrew Sukawaty, the company's chief executive, said that the profits were a result of people in the merchant shipping industry buying connections.

Inmarsat now see airlines as the next area for growth and has had talks with the likes of Ryanair, Air France and Emirates.

"It's gone beyond trial stage now," Mr Sukawaty told the newspaper.

"The initial feedback from customers has been very positive.

"They are using it for Blackberries, text messaging and voice calls."

The company currently provides a lower-speed connection, called Swift64, for air travellers mainly made up of those on private jets and government aircraft.

It has also done well from its land-based mobile broadband service, Bgan, which has been heavily used by charities, UN officials and aid workers to ease communications after the typhoon in Burma and earthquake in China.