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.
Ka-band
Viasat drops speed caps for new JetXP business aviation plans
Viasat is taking off its speed caps, opening up more bandwidth to more business aviation jets with company’s Jet ConneX service offering a new “JetXP” plan.
Telesat finalizes government funding for Lightspeed
The Telesat Lightspeed constellation is (finally) fully funded. The company announced completion of funding agreements with the Governments of Canada and Quebec, allowing for the satellites to be built and launched.
Azul adds long-haul Wi-Fi with expanded Viasat partnership
Azul is stretching its in-flight Wi-Fi program to long-haul operations. The carrier expanded its partnership with Viasat to add service on its A330neo planes from 2025.
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.
ViaSat-3 enters service, delivering inflight internet on Hawaii flights
The first ViaSat-3 satellite is now in service, providing increased capacity for the company’s airline customers, most notably including roughly 2400 monthly trips between Hawaii and the mainland.
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.
Viasat rejigs financial reporting
Viasat’s new reporting structure breaks out revenue by segment much more clearly than before, exposing a couple interesting trends.
Viasat confirms connectivity plans for LOT Polish Dreamliners
Viasat will provide inflight Wi-Fi service to LOT Polish Airlines’ fleet of Dreamliners from 2026 as part of a planned retrofit for the 787s.
ESAs, China, and the future of inflight connectivity
Depending on who you ask – and I asked several people at at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2024 last month – ESAs are the best way forward for inflight connectivity, or a compromise that come up short for airlines.