Stellar Blu and OneWeb can finally say broadband in-flight connectivity, delivered to a commercial aircraft via low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites and an electrically steered antenna (ESA) is a reality.
inflight connectivity
Seamless Air Alliance delivers IFC performance toolkit
What does it take to define the quality of in-flight WiFi service? How about 340 pages of documentation and more than 500 metrics? That’s what the Seamless Air Alliance offer for airlines and suppliers alike in its new Inflight Connectivity (IFC) Analysis Toolkit.
Inmarsat, Deutsche Telekom boost over-water EAN coverage
Terrestrial coverage over water? Turns out the oil rigs and wind farms in the North Sea can deliver in-flight connectivity, in addition to the energy helping power the flights.
OneWeb, Satcom Direct, QEST team for BizAv internet offering
Satcom Direct will soon offer broadband connectivity for its business aviation customers on the OneWeb low earth orbit (LEO) network. The companies announced a partnership, including QEST for antenna hardware, at EBACE 2022 in Geneva.
Inmarsat SwiftJet boosts BizAv bandwidth
Thousands of aircraft around the world could soon see their in-flight connectivity performance boosted six-fold. Inmarsat’s new SwiftJet offering will supercharge the company’s L-band constellation. The upgraded solution offers a 2.6 Mbps link to a massive range of aircraft, nearly anywhere on the planet, using Inmarsat’s ELERA network.
Gogo, OneWeb team for BizAv satellite service
Gogo is getting back into the satellite connectivity business in a big way. The company announced a deal to integrate the OneWeb low earth orbit (LEO) constellation into its business aviation connectivity network, providing global coverage for its customers.
Lufthansa plans entertainment upgrade for 747-8i fleet
In a sign that the aircraft will keep flying for some years to come, Lufthansa will retrofit the in-flight entertainment hardware on its 747-8i fleet with the Panasonic Avionics NEXT platform.
Turkish launches new WiFi on 737s, A321s
With more than a dozen aircraft fitted, Turkish Airlines is finally ready to officially launch its newest in-flight connectivity platform. The service, powered by Anuvu and in-country partner Profen, can be accessed on 13 of the company’s Airbus A321 and Boeing 737NG planes.
Spirit Airlines completes A320 WiFi installs
The Spirit Airlines A320 fleet is now fully fitted with in-flight WiFi. With both the A321 and now the A320 fleets completed, Spirit’s fleet can deliver in-flight internet service on more than 82% of its departures and 87% of its available seat miles.
Southwest selects Viasat for future WiFi installs, adds power, too
Southwest Airlines selected Viasat’s next generation, Ka-band satellite in-flight connectivity (IFC) system on aircraft deliveries, starting this fall. New 737 MAX aircraft will see the Viasat kit installed by Boeing on the factory line, arriving at Southwest with the WiFi service ready to fly.