Free WiFi at 35,000 Feet
Albert Sebastian@albseb
−8.4%
since Oct 7
The idea
I think airplane WiFi goes free within a couple years, the same way hotel WiFi did, and I want exposure to everyone who gets paid while that rollout happens. The basket holds retrofit hardware makers, the airlines using free WiFi as a loyalty hook, the satellite and connectivity providers carrying the traffic, and telecoms that bundle it into phone plans, so I am playing both the infrastructure build-out and the demand side at once. I keep 10% in cash to add if there is a pullback, and I avoid putting too much weight on any single name since the rollout path is still uncertain.
What it owns
- Every aircraft conversion to free WiFi requires new antennas and cabin equipment, creating a sustained upgrade cycle regardless of which airline wins the connectivity battle. · Astronics CorporationIt supplies the cabin power systems and antenna hardware that every retrofitted aircraft needs for modern WiFi connectivity., Gilat Satellite NetworksIt makes the flat-panel satellite antennas that enable modern in-flight internet, a direct way to benefit from fleet-wide retrofit cycles., Honeywell InternationalIts aerospace unit builds aircraft connectivity systems and wins retrofit contracts as airlines upgrade their fleets for free WiFi., HEICO CorporationIt supplies aftermarket parts into the exact kind of fleet-wide retrofit spending that multi-year WiFi upgrades require.30%
- Carriers that roll out free in-flight WiFi first can attract frequent flyers away from airlines still charging for the service. · Delta Air LinesIt moved first on free WiFi sponsored by a major telecom, setting the standard other carriers are now racing to match in loyalty programs., United Airlines HoldingsIt is wiring its fleet with satellite internet and offering the connection free to loyalty members, using connectivity as a direct loyalty weapon., American Airlines GroupIt is rolling out sponsored free WiFi with a major telecom covering part of the cost, the bundled connectivity model the take predicts., Alaska Air GroupIt operates an acquired airline that flies free satellite internet, placing it ahead of peers in adopting the modern WiFi standard.28%
- The infrastructure to deliver in-flight internet is being claimed now, and whoever secures airline contracts sets the standard for years to come. · Gogo Inc.It carries broadband to business aircraft and benefits from rising demand for in-flight connectivity across aviation., AST SpaceMobileIt beams internet directly from satellites to mobile devices, covering the scenario where connectivity goes direct-to-device rather than through cabin systems., Viasat Inc.It carries the majority of today's airline WiFi and stands to lose business if carriers adopt competing satellite platforms fleet-wide.16%
- Phone carriers are sponsoring free in-flight WiFi as a perk to attract and retain wireless subscribers, turning connectivity into a competitive tool in telecom sales. · T-Mobile USIt sponsors free in-flight WiFi for a major carrier as a perk to sell wireless subscriptions, entering the in-flight connectivity market through bundled offers., AT&T Inc.It is sponsoring free WiFi for a major airline as a way to attract and retain phone plan subscribers through bundled connectivity perks., Comcast CorporationIt is a major home internet provider positioned to follow telecoms into in-flight WiFi sponsorship once that bundling strategy proves valuable.15%
- Cash10%