SYDNEY – Airline watchers are tipping Qantas will next week reveal plans to introduce inflight Wi-Fi services available to all passengers in its planes, anywhere in the skies over Australia and its island territories.Qantas is thought to be close to a deal with NBN to use its latest Sky Muster satellite – already in orbit and due to begin services in April – to deliver high-speed Internet services to its aircraft.

The idea is appealing to Qantas because Sky Muster, unlike its predecessors, is powerful enough to provide coverage to every corner of Australia.

Qantas spokespeople have declined to confirm that the deal is on, but one company flack said the airline is “really excited about the prospect of offering WiFi on-board, particularly given the improvements in technology and therefore connection speed over the past six months”.