Japan Airlines confirmed expansion of its inflight internet deployment to part of its regional jet fleet. The carrier’s first E190 – operated by subsidiary J-AIR – officially returned to service with the Intelsat 2Ku hardware on board late last year.
ThinKom
Panasonic Avionics, OneWeb team for inflight internet service
Panasonic Avionics (PAC) will add low earth orbit satellites to its inflight internet offerings, thanks to a partnership with OneWeb. The long-expected distribution agreement will enable PAC to market, sell, and support OneWeb’s high-speed, low-latency LEO in-flight broadband services to commercial airlines worldwide.
TIM, Intelsat team up for free 2Ku inflight internet in Brazil
Subscribers on Brazil’s largest mobile phone company network now can access inflight internet for free. TIM Black and TIM Black Família customers can now browse, message, and more on domestic and international flights operated by GOL and LATAM, thanks to a partnership with Intelsat.
What’s under that radome?
Regional jets, for the most part, do not offer satellite-based internet services on board. The hardware is typically considered too large for the fuselage, and too heavy for the smaller planes. But it is not impossible. And another carrier now seems to be trying it out.
ThinKom, Inmarsat Global partner for military connectivity boost
Inflight connectivity comes with special needs when military aircraft are involved. ThinKom and Inmarsat Government have teamed up to address those challenges, with a new modem/antenna combination to support DoD activity around the globe.
Inmarsat, Stellar Blu certify Falcon 300 terminal for GX Aviation network
The newest terminal for Inmarsat’s GX Aviation inflight WiFi network is ready to deploy. The lightweight, low-drag Falcon 300 terminal, developed with Stellar Blu (previously GDC Technics), has received full type approval for use over Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network.
SatixFy’s Onyx Aero terminal seeks middle ground in ESA market
Are smaller electronically steered antenna (ESA) solutions easier to bring to market? SatixFy aims to find out, with the launch of the Onyx Aero platform.
Intelsat goes multi-orbit with OneWeb LEO option for airlines
Commercial airlines will soon have another option for in-flight connectivity (IFC) delivered via low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Intelsat secured a global distribution partnership with OneWeb, allowing for the development of a multi-orbit offering. The partnership builds on Intelsat’s extensive IFC experience and existing geo-stationary (GEO) satellite service, augmented with the OneWeb LEO constellation.
Thales FlytLIVE gets boost with SES-17 activation
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.
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.