Customers of Chinese airlines will be able to surf the Internet, make phone calls and watch real-time TV programs during flight before 2016 when domestic carriers can all offer satellite-based broadband service.

Work will start next year to install satellite communication devices on passenger aircraft and it will be completed within three years, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said in a statement on its website yesterday.

"The technology will allow airlines to provide a wide range of communication services to passengers as enormous data can be transmitted between planes and ground stations at speeds of up to 100 megabytes per second," the administration said.

Some 20 percent of Chinese passenger planes will be equipped with the satellite system by the end of next year and the rest of the Chinese fleet will be covered by the end of 2015, the statement said.

Moreover, the satellite communication system is expected to improve the rate of punctuality of domestic flights since the pilots can better communicate with air controllers.

Currently, Chinese airlines mainly use high-frequency radio for telecommunication that is jarred by signals of mobile phones and other electronic devices. Satellite-based Internet system can ensure stable, higher-quality and confidential communication as well as broader application.

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