Lufthansa looks to relaunch inflight web

German airline Lufthansa is set to reintroduce its inflight broadband service in the near future, according to reports.

Industry officials have told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that the carrier is looking to partner with T-Mobile to provide broadband web access and wireless email services to passengers onboard its long-haul flights by early 2008.

Lufthansa had previously offered a similar Wi-Fi service, but scrapped it in 2006. The forthcoming service, if launched, will feature several improvements over the old offering, according to the WSJ.

Passengers will be able to receive SMS messages on their mobile phones, use handheld email devices and use laptops to surf the internet, Lufthansa spokesman Michael Lamberty said.

However, he indicated that enabling mobile voice calls may not be an option as "the vast majority [of passengers] told us they don't want this feature" due to potential noise and disruption.

Earlier this year, the European Aviation Safety Authority approved equipment developed by inflight technology provider OnAir that will be used to offer mobile services onboard Airbus A318 aircraft, an offering expected to be taken up by airlines such as bmi and Air France.

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