CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA 
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High-speed satellite internet connectivity for in-flight passengers
Colombo, September 3 (Daily Mirror) - Cabinet approval has been granted to provide internet connectivity to passengers enabling them to use Wi-Fi facilities and GSM services on their mobile phones while in flight.
Accordingly, SriLankan Airlines Limited at present operates a fleet of 13 aircraft with internet facilities.
The proposal was presented by the Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister to award the contract to Viasat Inc. to obtain Ka-band high-speed satellite technical internet connectivity to seven A330-300 model aircraft of SriLankan Airlines Limited for the period of 07 years under the said recommendations.
As passengers have to use low internet speed with the outdated internet facilities existing at present, it has been identified as a requirement of providing fast internet application facilities.
The Ka and Ku bands are used for high-end connections and due to the availability of a high frequency range, the Ka-band that provides high-speed data transfer.
Therefore, it has been identified that the Ka-band connections are more suitable for internet access, other structured services and other activities that require huge amounts of data.
The proposal presented by the Viasat Institute, the only supplier to give Ka-band connectivity, providing hardware, software and internet facilities with global coverage for commercial aircraft, has been appraised by the Technical Evaluation Committee and the Standing Procurement Committee appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers and the recommendations have been forwarded.
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