Starlink shines on JSX

Of course it works.

That’s an easy first impression to draw after walking on to a JSX plane and immediately connecting the Starlink inflight internet on offer. After all, the companies have now deployed the system on more than 20 Embraer 145 aircraft, and invited media to attend a demo flight of the service.

But the fact that it works so well was never a sure thing; the program had a few hiccups along the way. And this was also just one flight. But the overall performance was impressive, and in a couple ways that were true differentiators from competing solutions.

Air and hotel expenses to attend the JSX Media Day event were covered by JSX. Editorial approval was neither sought nor granted.

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Plenty of capacity

There’s no doubt that seeing a 200 Mbps download speed on a plane is impressive; even for most home users that would be a huge win. But that much speed is rarely a game-changer for consumers. And, indeed, I never recorded a speed test result that high on my devices, though others on the test flight got close. Even at 40-50 Mbps the system was snappy, streaming video or handling other browsing needs without much effort.

More than megabits

Speed matters, up to a point. Most major providers today can deliver that speed to an aircraft, assuming the airline contracted for sufficient bandwidth. More impressive to me were the link off the plane, and the low latency, two aspects that factor significantly on my ability to work in flight.

Read more: Beyond the Megabits: Taking Spirit’s WiFi for a ride

For more performance-sensitive apps (VPNs or remote desktops, not web browsing or even streaming movies) consistency in the link (a/k/a jitter) often becomes more important that overall speed.

The lower latency – 21-490ms in my testing, averaging 52ms – allowed for remote desktop sessions without lag.

Similar sessions on higher latency GEO connections have worked in the past, but much less consistently or responsively. This version was much more akin to sitting at my desk.

The link off the aircraft reported as high as 9 Mbps in my speed tests. But more importantly, it held steady a 4-5 Mbps across multiple large file (600 MB) transfer sessions. That’s both faster than any other satellite-based service I’ve used (and similar to the SmartSky ATG offering, though I got better uplink numbers on that test flight 4 years ago), and more consistent.

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Voice in play

Early in the demo flight JSX CEO Alex Wilcox made a quick call. A bit later in the flight I made a video call with my father for a few minutes. That’s the sort of service that is very sensitive to latency and jitter, and it was nearly flawless in the testing. Wilcox also noted that JSX explicitly sought confirmation from regulators that passengers on board are permitted to use their devices for voice or video calls, suggesting the FCC rules around phone calls might not apply because JSX is not licensed as a typical commercial airline.

Which, of course, raises the issue that travelers will actually use it on board.

The idea of being able to talk while on the plane plays into JSX’s pitch as a semi-private airline operation. And Wilcox noted that flight attendants will intervene if passengers become too disruptive with voice calls on board. Finally, the well-spaced 1-1 layout means travelers are less likely to be directly adjacent to a loud talking neighbor.

Only time will tell if voice calling becomes a “killer app” function on the JSX/Starlink service, and what the impact is for the overall passenger experience.

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Sufficient capacity to grow?

SpaceX is already limiting new terrestrial signups in some regions, aiming to fend off oversubscription challenges. Wilcox is unfazed by that, however, noting the company has SLAs in place that are readily being met.

That he’s talking about SLAs comes as something of a surprise. Last summer one airline executive suggested that SLAs were not part of the Starlink value proposition. Instead, airlines who were disappointed in the service would simply transition to a new provider, without a contract lock-in. That is, of course, not a particularly practical response for airlines to take to poor service quality, but it was what they thought was available.

SpaceX’s Jonathan Hofeller expanded on that idea during a panel discussion at APEX EXPO late last year. Hofeller is not completely opposed to the idea of SLAs, but he sees the current contract model as “insufficient.”

“There is nothing wrong with measuring the experience,” Hofeller continued. “Where the problem comes from SLAs is that typically they don’t drive changes that improve the benefit.”

A small credit back to the airline does not solve the poor performance for the customer, just like refunding the fee paid by a customer doesn’t make up for a poor service experience. Getting to a scenario where problems do not occur is the true goal.

Delivering that massive capacity growth is key to Starlink’s business model, and is supported by the continued launch of satellites. Hofeller aims to eventually address the market from a position of capacity abundance rather than scarcity.

Only 21 planes are fitted with the system today, so that’s not going to really move the needle on demand across the constellation. The next 16 planes to be fitted will be JSX’s ERJ-135 aircraft, just as soon as the STC is approved. Hawaiian Airlines, airBaltic, and ZipAir will follow. And the JSX fleet expects to grow at an annual clip of ~8 planes for the next several years.

Even with all those online, however, the committed fleet for JSX is around 150 frames, scattered across the globe. Aero demand does not seem likely to drive a scarcity scenario for SpaceX any time soon. And in the meantime, airlines and passengers alike should typically (though some flights/users occasionally experience lower performance) find the service a compelling offering.