In mid-September, China Eastern Airlines, the nation's second-largest carrier by passenger numbers, successfully tested the air-ground wireless broadband communication facility on its flight from Chengdu of Sichuan province to Xi'an of Shaanxi province, a source at the Shanghai-based carrier said.

Experts said by using satellite communications, the cost could be lower for airlines to provide in-flight entertainment.

Currently, special facilities must be set up on the ground along the flight route to realize the air-ground broadband communication service, said Ma Zhengxin, an expert on satellite communication at the Department of Electronics Engineering of Tsinghua University.

But that will be unnecessary with satellite communication systems, which allow such services on any flight routes - even intercontinental flights, Ma said.

In China, Air China is reported to be the first domestic carrier to offer WiFi service on its flights. In November 2011, an Air China Boeing aircraft tested its wireless local area network at the Beijing Capital International Airport, Shanghai-based Evening News reported.

Questions:

1. What new service can airline passengers expect soon?

2. What is the plan?

3. When will this happen?

Answers:

1. Surfing the Internet and making phone calls.

2. A new government plan requires Chinese airlines to set up satellite communication systems.

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