By the time a company is ready to run a media demo flight of a new technology the assumption is that the system will work as advertised. Still, as the SmartSky Citation Excel taxied for departure on a clear Florida morning a couple weeks ago there were questions to be answered and tests to be run. Come on board as I put the system through its paces.
inflight connectivity
American Airlines reportedly expanding IFC relationship with Viasat
A lack of global Ka-band coverage won’t stop American Airlines from expanding its Viasat inflight connectivity relationship. The pair are reported to be deploying a Ku/Ka offering on upcoming 787 deliveries.
PaxEx Premium: UON updates offerings, looks to expand install base
As the newest supplier in the inflight connectivity market Saudi Arabia's UON by Taqnia Space faces plenty of challenges. It also is arguably the most nimble and adaptable player in the game, with plenty of opportunity to tailor its offerings and business model to airline demands as it looks to grow. During a conversation at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg earlier this month CEO Abdullah Alosaimi offered up some insight on how the company intends to do exactly that.
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Gulf Air selects Thales, Inmarsat GX for 787-9, A321LR connectivity
Gulf Air’s newest aircraft will feature inflight connectivity from Thales InFlyt, powered by the Inmarsat GX Aviation platform. The companies announced the deal today covering twenty five planes that will fly on longer routes.
Viasat, China Satcom partner for Ka-band connectivity over China
More inflight connectivity opportunities are opening up in China. Viasat is the latest provider to make a move, inking a deal this week with China Satcom to partner on efforts to grow the market and connect planes in the region. The partnership combines Viasat’s on-board experience with China Satcom’s business license, satellites and access to the domestic market.
PaxEx Premium: Mitigating the loss of Intelsat 29e for inflight connectivity
Last week's anomaly on the Intelsat 29e satellite took the Ku-band system temporarily offline. Further details now suggest that a recovery is increasingly unlikely. While that has a short-term impact on the inflight connectivity market a deeper review suggests that the overall exposure could be mitigated relatively quickly.
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PaxEx Premium: Finding future financing
Gogo appears to have solved its most significant short-term challenge, with a $900mm debt offering lined up to provide five years of breathing room as the company inches towards a positive free cash flow.
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Making the best of a limited bandwidth situation
Flights mostly outside Inmarsat’s European Aviation Network (EAN) terrestrial network coverage area present a special challenge of service levels and expectations. Here’s how the company is handling them in at least one scenario.
Intelsat 29e failure hits Panasonic Avionics inflight wifi capacity
This content was available to PaxEx Premium subscribers first. Sign up now to get early access to the IFEC news that matters most. What happens when gigabits of capacity goes offline? Passengers and inflight connectivity providers alike are about to find out. Intelsat 29e, the first of the Epic Ku-band High Throughput Satellites, suffered a […]
Lufthansa Systems pulls the plug on patch antenna connectivity play
Can narrow-band wifi options for inflight passenger connectivity work? Lufthansa Systems pulled the plug on one such program recently, seeking to avoid “pissing everyone off.”