The race to get broadband in the skies has been running for a while now, and not to be outdone by the news of American Airlines to begin testing in-flight Wi-Fi from AirCell, German airline Lufthansa is reportedly in talks with T-Mobile to bring internet access to its planes from next year.

Passengers will be able to receive SMS messages on their mobile phones, use handheld email devices and use laptops to surf the internet. However, enabling mobile voice calls will not be an option due to the noise and intrusive telephone ringing it could cause.

Lufthansa had previously offered Boeing's Connexion in-flight Wi-Fi service a few years ago, which was highly popular with business travelers, according to the airline. However, Boeing pulled the plug on its Wi-Fi service late last year after steadily piling up large losses.

Lufthansa's plans remain tentative and subject to approval by the company's board. The system is expected to cost about $100 million.