Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
SKT launches world's first automatic in-flight Wi-Fi connection service
Models promote SK Telecom's T In-flight Automatic Wi-Fi service in this handout photo released on Tuesday. Courtesy of SK Telecom
By Nam Hyun-woo
SK Telecom has launched a new service that allows its subscribers to connect to in-flight Wi-Fi without the hassle of complex login procedures — a first of its kind.
The mobile carrier said Tuesday it debuted T In-flight Wi-Fi Automatic Roaming, which lets its customers access in-flight Wi-Fi on their existing mobile phone plans without separate authentication processes.
Generally, in-flight Wi-Fi requires passengers to purchase access through the airline’s website in advance or make a payment after boarding. Once onboard, users typically need to access the airline’s portal and complete steps such as membership registration or user authentication.
In July last year, SK Telecom launched its T In-flight Wi-Fi service, streamlining the process by allowing customers to complete all necessary steps via its website and connect to the internet by simply entering a voucher code onboard.
The latest automatic roaming service enables users to seamlessly connect to in-flight Wi-Fi without needing separate authentication or voucher code entry.
When passengers sign up for the automatic roaming service at SK Telecom’s website, they can have their subscription information automatically authenticated upon boarding and connect to in-flight Wi-Fi immediately.
The mobile carrier said the latest service is powered by its Passpoint Wi-Fi technology, which eliminates the necessity of having to log in each time by authenticating the passenger’s device onto the Wi-Fi network using its SIM credentials or app-based credentials.
The service was also powered by Panasonic Avionics technology, which allows seamless transition from terrestrial to airborne networks.
Through this, the passenger pays SK Telecom, not the airline. T In-flight Wi-Fi offers four pricing plans based on flight distance, ranging from 29,700 won for long-haul flights to 8,800 won for short flights.
SK Telecom said the automatic roaming service is currently available on a number of Korean Air flights using Boeing 777-300ER and A350-900 aircraft, and it plans to gradually expand the service to more aircraft operated by major domestic airlines.
The voucher-based service is available on five airlines: Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Lufthansa, Air Canada and Etihad Airways.
SK Telecom said the number of subscribers using its in-flight Wi-Fi service quadrupled between August last year and January.
“T Roaming is now a service that allows Korean users to stay connected overseas in the most familiar way,” a company official said.
“T In-flight Wi-Fi Automatic Roaming is an extension of our efforts to in-flight connectivity. SK Telecom will continue to deliver customer-centric roaming services and reasonable pricing.”