Satellite communications capabilities on board commercial aircraft have advanced rapidly in recent years with airline passengers using broadband Internet, WiFi, text messaging and mobile phones in flight and now business aircraft users are starting to reap the rewards. Business jet manufacturers are offering customers the latest technology, with several third-party suppliers providing on-board equipment which is viable (in terms of cost and weight) for midsized aircraft, and in some cases for smaller turbine aircraft.
Aircell Internet
While the two leading satellite networks are Inmarsat (Booth No. 529) and Iridium, it is Aircell (Booth No. 260) which has led the way by introducing high-speed Internet access on mainline U.S. carriers, using Iridium to extend it for use on international routes. Aircell employs a network of ground stations and has built 93 new facilities in the U.S. in the past two years to support the high-speed network.
This expansion followed the company’s successful bid for 3Mhz of the 4Mhz bandwidth from Verizon Airphone (MagnaStar) in the 2006 bandwidth auction. The first aircraft WiFi hotspot was introduced in August 2008.
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