Cabin Interior and Electronics
Airborne Communications Are Coming Down to Earth
More options may eventually lead to lower prices
airborne connectivity satellite
Manufacturers and network operators are offering more options for connectivity, and this may eventually drive prices down. © AdobeStock

Developments in the airborne connectivity space are accelerating, and for business aviation and even owner-flown aircraft the product choices are expanding. While prices haven’t dropped, the advent of new low-earth-orbit (LEO) networks such as SpaceX’s Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb promises to open the world of high-speed airborne internet access to more users and eventually smaller aircraft. Iridium, while it doesn’t offer the speed of Starlink and OneWeb, is also a LEO constellation.

Meanwhile, the market for higher-orbit geostationary (GEO) satellite communications (satcom) remains strong. And for aircraft that don’t fly outside the U.S., the two air-to-ground (ATG) providers—Gogo Business Aviation and SmartSky—provide solutions to operators who don’t want to go the full satcom route.

Loading…