The official launch of the FlytLIVE in-flight WiFi service on Spirit Airlines earlier this month, after a year of trial operations irepresents a strong return to the in-flight connectivity market for Thales. But the company is not slowing down now that the gear is live; quite the opposite, in fact.
ThinAir
In-flight connectivity’s next major hurdle: Smaller planes
More than a thousand larger regional jets fly across North America. All of them deliver a sub-par inflight WiFi experience. But that could soon change, as multiple airlines move to upgrade the systems on board over the next few years.
Air Canada selects Intelsat 2Ku for A321 internet service
Air Canada’s A321 fleet will soon fly with the Intelsat 2Ku in-flight internet solution. Under the agreement the carrier will upgrade its offering for 15 existing aircraft, while also taking 15 new deliveries with the system installed from the Airbus factory in Hamburg.
ThinKom targets regional jets with smaller antenna solution
ThinKom’s ThinAir family now has a new kid brother. The company formally launched the ThinAir Ka1717 offering this week, offering a smaller, lighter solution targeting the regional jet market.
Panasonic picks ThinKom for next gen antenna solution
It is not 2Ku. But the new partnership between Panasonic Avionics and ThinKom definitely covers Ku, too. The two companies announced plans to develop an updated antenna solution to fly with Panasonic’s airline customers, starting from 2023.
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.
Seeking ThinAir: The search continues
A couple weeks ago hopes were high for a new antenna system in flight testing. That dream appears to have come back down to earth as Spirit Airlines’ first A321 with the Thales FlytLive kit installed reentered flight services this week.
PaxEx Premium: LEO connectivity testing reaches new heights
Low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations promise higher capacity and lower latency for connections. They also bring significant challenges, mostly owing to far more frequent satellite switching to maintain a connection. Add in an airplane moving though the sky and the complexity increases further. Multiple vendors are now moving through the testing process, with plans to deliver functional solutions as early as 2019, well ahead of the satellite constellations being ready for such connections.
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