The Shenzhen-based Airbus China Innovation Center has signed an agreement with China Mobile Intelligent Mobility¹ Network Technology Co to co-develop in-flight Wi-Fi services, fueled by the growing demand for greater in-air connectivity.

在人们对空中网络需求不断增长的推动下，总部位于深圳的空客中国创新中心与中国移动智行网络科技有限公司签署了一项协议，共同开发空中Wi-Fi服务。

The cooperation will develop an end-to-end solution and create new in-flight high-speed connectivity, leveraging² the favorable policy on the use of portable electronic devices on board and the upcoming 5G technology, said Luo Gang, CEO of the Airbus China Innovation Center.

空客中国创新中心首席执行官罗岗表示:“该合作将充分利用便携式电子设备使用的优惠政策以及未来的5G技术，共同开发端到端的一整套解决方案，打造全新的机上高速互联体验。”

The Airbus and China Mobile subsidiaries did not disclose further details.

空客和中国移动并未透露更多细节。

In January, the Civil Aviation Administration of China lifted curbs³ on the use of mobile devices on domestic flights. Passengers can now use mobile phones, tablets and laptops during the entire flight, as long as they have airplane mode switched on.

一月，中国民航总局就飞机上使用移动设备这一点放宽了政策。目前乘客可以在飞机行驶过程中使用开启了飞行模式的手机和笔记本电脑。

The in-flight Wi-Fi market in China is expected to enter a rapid growth period in the next few years. Most domestic routes are yet to be equipped with Wi-Fi services, due to technology and cost limitations.

在接下来的几年中国空中Wi-Fi市场将急速增长。由于技术和费用有限，大多数国内线路至今还没有配备Wi-Fi服务。

Opening last year, Airbus’ Shenzhen innovation center is its first such facility in Asia, and its second globally after the one in Silicon⁴ Valley. China Mobile Intelligent Mobility Network was launched in June. The company will focus on the transportation⁵ industry and 5G, and deepen its R&D in smart transportation fields, including automated⁶ driving and in-flight connectivity.

空客深圳创新中心去年开业，这是其在亚洲的第一个创新中心，也是继硅谷之后的第二个全球创新中心。中国移动智能移动网于6月开通。该公司将专注于交通运输业和5G技术，并深化其在智能交通领域的研发，包括自动驾驶和飞行中连接。

Currently, in-flight Wi-Fi mostly relies on the Ku band signal channel, which makes it susceptible⁷ to instability during flights.

目前，飞行中的Wi-Fi主要依赖于Ku波段的信号信道，这使得它很容易受到飞行过程中不稳定的影响。

The latest high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi operates on the Ka band, meaning the internet speed will be much faster than the currently available options. Both technologies rely on satellites, which restrict them to satellite orbit resources, making them more expensive than air-to-ground communications.

新近的高速空中网基于Ka波段，意味着网速将比目前已有的选择快得多。这两项技术都依赖卫星，然而卫星使得这些技术受限于卫星轨道上的资源，这就使得这些技术比空对地通信成本要高得多。

Another approach to in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity depends on air-to-ground communications — a ground-based channel. Air-to-ground connections send signals to planes from on-ground signal towers, instead of from satellites directly as L band and Ku band do. The resources of on-ground signal towers are richer and more stable, and relatively⁸ easier to build, said Xiang Ligang, CEO of telecom industry website Cctime.

通信行业网站飞象网的首席执行官项立刚表示，“另外一种空中网络连接方式取决于空对地通信——基于地面的信号通道。空对地连接将信号从地面的信号塔发送至飞机上，而不是像L波段和Ku波段一样从卫星直接发射到飞机上。地面信号塔资源更丰富和稳定，建设起来也相对容易。”