High Five: 5G Set to Turn Aircraft Into IoT-Flying Devices | APEX Media
Imagine a world where in-flight entertainment means high-definition, immersive virtual reality (VR) content or feature-rich multiplayer 3-D gaming. Where cabins are equipped with wireless temperature sensors and crew use augmented reality (AR) headsets to address passengers personally. And at airports, everything is accelerated – from luggage tracking to biometric passenger verification.
Well, you may not need to imagine much longer, because 5G is expected to facilitate all of this, and five major players – Airbus, Delta Air Lines, Sprint, OneWeb and Airtel – have come together, forming the Seamless Air Alliance, to make it a reality. “Clearly, 5G will be better than what 3G and 4G can offer the traveling public today,” Airbus spokesperson Martin Fendt says. “More passengers will be able to simultaneously stream more high-bandwidth content than before. Furthermore, this experience will become seamless between home, taxi, airport terminal and the aircraft cabin.”