Another antenna option will soon join the fold for OneWeb‘s aero customers. Hanwha Phasor announced it has signed a User Terminal Development Agreement, enabling the two companies to collaborate on an in-flight connectivity solution. A certified solution is anticipated in 2025.
The agreement formalizes the testing and development process of the Hanwha Phasor terminal against the OneWeb constellation of low earth orbit satellites. As part of the deal OneWeb will support Hanwha Phasor with modem integration and terminal debugging, as well as providing satellite airtime for testing.
Dominic Philpott, Chief Operating Officer of Hanwha Phasor, notes that the agreement is the culmination of 18 months of development efforts so far. “Producing a terminal for the OneWeb network is an important step towards providing full satellite communications for our customers. We look forward to working closely with OneWeb over the coming months to receive for certification on their satellite constellation.”
This move has, of course, been long expected. Hanwha Phasor is an investor in OneWeb, to the tune of a $300 million stake announced in August 2021. The company began its work to join the OneWeb network with its terminals in December of that year.
Just five months ago at the Satellite conference in Washington, DC Hanwha Phasor executives anticipated ground testing before the end of 2023 and airborne tests by Q1 2024. At that time it was expected that the system would not be available when OneWeb activates global services for its aero market forecast for early 2024. Whether a 2025 certification target is a slip, however, is less clear.
Yes, there are other terminals expected to enter services sooner, notably the Stellar Blu kit with the Ball Aerospace panels. That system aims to enter service in early 2024, with both Alaska Airlines and Air Canada committed to implementations via Intelsat.
Speaking to the partnership, Massimiliano Ladovaz, Chief Technology Officer at OneWeb, added, “We are excited to partner with industry leader Hanwha Phasor to deliver seamless, high performance connectivity to our airline customers – and their passengers. Together we look forward to enabling even more passengers, flying on current and future commercial aviation aircraft to enjoy high-speed, low latency connectivity – delivering a connected experience that is limited only by their imagination, not the available bandwidth.”
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