Global Eagle is moving closer to a Ka-band in-flight connectivity solution. The company recently cleared a critical milestone in the verification phase for the Global Eagle Airconnect Ka IFC terminal to be used with Canadian satellite operator Telesat’s planned Lightspeed low-earth orbit (LEO) network.
Ka2517
Inmarsat, GDC, ThinKom update GX antenna, terminal options
Airlines looking at the Inmarsat GX Aviation network have a new option for the antenna and terminal bits, supported by ThinKom and GDC Technics.
Inmarsat launches GX+ North America expansion with Hughes
The Inmarsat network just got a lot larger. The satellite connectivity provider is teaming with Hughes to bring the JUPITER High Throughput Satellite Ka-band constellation into the GX Aviation network, a major boost to capacity as the company seeks to capture more of the North American market.
Solving the Thales Ka-band antenna conundrum
Rip-and-replace is rarely good news for an on-aircraft hardware system. But there’s at least one big winner with the latest revision to the Thales Ka-band in-flight connectivity offering. The Thinkom ThinAir Ka2517 has been confirmed on an Spirit Airlines A321 headed towards certification.
Seeking a strategic use for Viasat’s $175 million raise
Was Viasat’s recent deal to secure $175mm in new capital just a matter of convenient timing? Or is there a specific plan for the cash? CEO Mark Dankberg got into some of the possibilities today, including potential inflight connectivity opportunities, while clearly leaving the door open for many more options to come.
Amazon commits $10 billion to Kuiper LEO constellation
What does it take to put a new low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation into service? The myriad technical challenges are not to be underestimated, of course, but a lot of it comes down to money. In the case of the Amazon Kupier project that’s a $10 billion commitment.
From 2Ku to 2Ka: Gogo ready for a spectrum shift
What keeps airlines from shifting from one inflight connectivity solution to another? Contracts are certainly part of it, but so is the significant cost to update and replace hardware on the planes. Gogo has a plan that could ease such pain while keeping airlines active on its services.
ThinKom touts low-drag advantages in push for regional jet connectivity
Getting high-speed satellite-based internet service on to regional jets has proven an uphill battle to date. Antenna manufacturer ThinKom hopes its Ka2517 solution can help. The company released details of a study this week confirming its antenna can fly on smaller fuselages without dramatically increasing drag.
Gilat delivers a successful Ka-band ESA test flight with Honeywell, Telesat
Finally some good news worth celebrating in the ESA space. Gilat’s new kit went flying on Honeywell’s 757 and successfully linked with a Telesat GEO Ka-band satellite.
Antenna woes derail Spirit’s WiFi installation efforts
More troubles for the Spirit Airlines inflight wifi program came to light today. Antenna issues with the Thales FlytLIVE kit will require the few existing installations to be replaced and tested anew before the full fleet deployment resumes.