Passengers flying across the Pacific Ocean are set for a major upgrade in inflight connectivity performance. Panasonic Avionics and Eutelsat announced this week that Eutelsat 172b is now in service, delivering a massive increase in…
Inching ever closer to inflight WiFi over India
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) took another step towards authorizing the use of infilght wifi connectivity earlier this month. The move authorizes the use of such services on board domestic and international flights.…
Are UON? New entrants launch inflight connectivity options
Too many providers and not enough profits. Who will buy whom and can the market finally generate profits on a sustainable scale? These are the topics swirling beneath the surface for the inflight connectivity market.…
Qatar Airways brings connectivity gate to gate
Qatar Airways is opening up its inflight wifi connectivity solution for gate-to-gate services. The move comes on the heels of a policy update from the Qatar's Communications Regulatory Authority permitting the use of inflight services…
Connectivity Revenue: Where does American’s shift leave Gogo?
In last week's earnings call Gogo indicated that expected service revenue for its North America Commercial Aviation segment would be flat YoY in 2018. Considering the impending loss of some 400 American Airlines aircraft from…
Iridium-4 to launch on an old friend
The switch by Iridium to use a flight-proven SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for a pair of upcoming launches was driven by a desire to maintain the launch cadence. Waiting for new rockets presented a potential…
Power Up! Astronics to acquire Telefonix
Consolidation is coming in the cabin components industry with Astronics announcing this morning that it will acquire Telefonix for $104mm in cash. The two companies' product lines are largely complementary, covering in-seat power, passenger service…
Inmarsat, Deutsche Telekom complete first EAN flight tests
Infilght testing of the European Aviation Network ("EAN") is upon us. Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom announced this week that the first flight test was completed covering multiple countries and proving the seamless integration of the…
XTS is dead. Long live XTS. Panasonic sees…
Panasonic Avionics spends a lot of money on satellite capacity. With approximately 1,750 aircraft flying today and a commitment of ~4,000 the company faces a continuous need to grow. Historically that meant commissioning satellites and…