Two current IFC providers are taking very different paths in the face of LEO connectivity evolving “faster and differently” than expected. Whether they arrive at the same outcome will be very interesting to see.
PremCat
ViaSat-3 APAC Launches Successfully
On Thursday morning the third ViaSat-3 satellite successfully lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on a Falcon Heavy rocket, marking a major milestone in the very important (and rather delayed) program to massively boost capacity in GEO orbit.
A Subtle Shift in Messaging
Parsing the language of a press release can be an interesting challenge. Subtle changes over the past couple months with Southwest Airlines’ IFC play are worth digging in to.
Some Starlink Updates from AIX 2026
Starlink launched its commercial aviation offering with an incredibly simple premise: bandwidth solves everything. And that worked, at least initially. As it competes for airline business many of the previously dismissed complexities are now part of the company’s offerings, and more are included with each hardware iteration.
Hughes Snags Air India IFC Contract, Tweaks Antenna Plans
A new customer, new antenna hardware, and new progress on a slightly stalled deployment are all highlights from Hughes Networks’ IFC program in recent weeks.
ThinKom’s Nexus Delivers High Performance in a Compact Package
The next big thing from ThinKom is impressively small. The ThinAir Nexus antenna brings ThinKom’s proven multi-orbit performance to market in a footprint matching LEO-only ESAs.
Approaching the End of the Line
Sometimes things end dramatically. Other times they just peter out.
A Curious IFC Shift
Operating a multi-supplier IFC portfolio is not unique. Still, sometimes those shifts come as a surprise. A report this week very much fits in that latter category to me.
Gogo Sees Upside in Imminent Galileo, 5G Activations
Top line numbers suggest Gogo held steady as it navigated the first year of its merged operations with Satcom Direct and transitions towards the Gogo 5G and Galileo platforms for business aviation connectivity.
Gilat Sells More Sidewinder, More Line-fit Installs
Chalk up another $39 million in Sidewinder antenna sales for Gilat to bring multi-orbit IFC to commercial aircraft. Deliveries are expected over the coming year.