Singapore Airlines will deploy Inmarsat’s GX Aviation high-speed connectivity service for passengers on-board its long-haul fleet.
The services (Wi-Fi and mobile phone text and data services) will be supplied by Inmarsat’s partner SITAONAIR and will be powered by Honeywell’s JetWave satellite communications hardware.
The first installation is scheduled for the second half of 2016, starting with Singapore Airlines’ Boeing B777-300ER aircraft, which will be followed by its Airbus A380-800s and A350-900s.
GX Aviation delivers high-speed broadband connectivity over Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) constellation. The third Global Xpress satellite was launched successfully in August 2015, putting Global Xpress on track for the introduction of global commercial service by the end of the year.
GX uses Ka-band and provides data rates of up to 50Mbps to the aircraft. Using GX Aviation, passengers will be able to do everything from sending real-time social media updates and emails to live streaming TV, all while in flight and from virtually anywhere in the world, over both land and sea. The onboard Wi-Fi will reflect what most people are used to at home.
Thales will provide the airborne connectivity system for the A350-900s with SITAONAIR providing the Wi-Fi Internet and Mobile phone service.
Zodiac Inflight Innovations will provide the JetWave GX Aviation Satcom for the A380-800 and B777-300ER retrofit programs.
N.B. Image credit: singaporeair.com
