In an industry full of poorly kept secrets, confirmation of one has finally emerged. Since teasing the ThinAir Plus antenna concept at Satellite 2023 and confirming it at AIX 2023 ThinKom has been loathe to confirm an ESA antenna partner. Until now.
GEO
NSG signs Thai Airways, Turkish Airways for inflight internet
IFC upstart NEO Space Group now has two named customers, Airbus has its first SES-aligned customers for HBCplus, and passengers should soon have better internet on board.
NEO Space Group ready to make its mark in IFC
It is, most likely, the largest inflight connectivity company you’ve never heard of. But Saudi Arabia’s Neo Space Group (NSG) expects to quickly raise its profile over the year ahead.
Panasonic Avionics launches multi-orbit test flight program
Panasonic Avionics’ newest test aircraft broke cover late last week, carrying the Sidewinder 9×9 ESA from Gilat (formerly Stellar Blu) and a paint job highlighting the OneWeb LEO connectivity kit on board.
SES, ThinKom expand testing for multi-orbit inflight connectivity
SES and ThinKom received approval this week from the FCC to conduct terrestrial testing of the Ka2517 terminal against the O3b constellation, joining a similar approval issued for testing against SES-17 in July. And there’s more to follow.
Embraer plans satellite connectivity for E175s
As demand for inflight internet service continues to expand, Embraer is taking steps to ensure its aircraft are not left behind. During FIA2024 the manufacturer announced plans to facilitate satellite connectivity on the E175s by 2026.
JAL boosts free internet offerings with streaming service
Free streaming-level Wi-Fi service is coming to JAL’s J-Air E190 fleet later this summer.
Shifting install sequencing
Will airlines hit their 2025 target to replace the inflight internet services on smaller planes in North America? Probably. But the sequence and timing on those appears to be shifting a bit.
SES Open Orbits brings multi-constellation, multi-orbit Ka-band connectivity together on a global scale
SES will bring together a collective of Ka-band capacity providers under its Open Orbits program, providing a new type of competition in the global inflight connectivity market.
Viasat plans dual-modem modman for (eventual) constellation flexibility
Viasat finally has a formal plan for airlines to integrate access across its two satellite networks: A new dual-modem ModMan is coming as part of the standard install kit.