Singapore Airlines said today it would be able to offer passengers inflight wireless Internet access at 35,000 feet (10,600 metres) by next year.

SIA said it plans to roll out a scheme that will allow access to WiFi Internet and mobile telephony services from as early as the first half of 2011.

"The environment that our customers have gotten used to on the ground can soon be replicated in the air, when they fly with Singapore Airlines on aircraft fitted with this new connectivity platform," said Yap Kim Wah, senior vice president for product and services.

"Travelling on business or pleasure, they are just a click or an SMS away, with access to live information, social networking and news updates, as well as inflight shopping," he said in a statement.

SIA said it would become the first major airline in Asia to provide such services, which would be offered as part of its inflight programme.

Passengers will be charged for using the service, which will be available on all long-range aircraft, it said.

Details of the charges will be announced closer to the launch.

SIA is one of the world's leading carriers and is consistently voted by travellers as one of their favourite airlines.