Following a somewhat protracted rollout, the availability of end-user airborne broadband services now appears ready to meet the burgeoning demand from business aircraft operators and their passengers. And much of this technology is being demonstrated here at EBACE this week.
In the world of new generation high-speed connectivity from Inmarsat (Booth No. 709), a recent postponement to the launch of its third “Inmarsat-4” satellite covering the Pacific region has not dampened enthusiasm for the widespread rollout of high-speed airborne Web-surfing using its latest SwiftBroadband offering. Indeed, SwiftBroadband, which was launched in October 2007 with Internet protocol-based “always-on” connectivity, has already gained traction, helped by the emergence of compatible services and equipment from a large number of providers. Related to this is the growing popularity of portable Wi-Fi-enabled devices for 24/7 e-mail, instant-messaging applications, VoIP (voice-over-Internet protocol), music downloads, streaming “live” video, video-conferencing, and of course general Internet browsing–all of which will greatly benefit from the higher bandwidths.
