Rockwell Collins Plan for One-Stop-Airline-Shop with Cabin Connect

Rockwell Collins, through its acquisition of ARINC Inc. last year plan to become a one-stop-shop for airlines for IFE and on-board connectivity solutions.

Cabin Connect, operating over Inmarsat SwiftBroadband, provides Wi-Fi and inflight connectivity on a global scale. Next year, via its recently-finalised agreement with Inmarsat to become a Value Added Reseller for Global Xpress – GX Aviation – Rockwell Collins will focus on Cabin Connect retrofitting, urging customers to begin now with Cabin Connect on the lower bandwidth of L-band SwiftBroadband and upgrade to Ka-band ‘when you and your customers are ready’.

Cabin Connect, with its cabin connectivity solution, plus avionics and ACARS datalink services for the flight deck, could deliver a complete package to airlines. Huy Tran, director of marketing and business development for Rockwell Collins said, “There’s many companies who have a single product line, not many companies actually have the full breadth. The companies that are going to be successful are the ones that have all the product lines, because airlines don’t want to shop around for various components.”

Rockwell Collin effectively dropped out of the IFE marketplace in 2006, but the introduction of their new PAVES system and subsequent MoU with Hubei Ali Jiatai, Chinese aircraft seat-makers to include PAVES in next-gen Boeing 737’s for Chinese carriers has placed them firmly back in action. The plans for the ARINC Cabin Connect suite will cement their stake in the current and future market of IFE.

In a market where there is close competition, Rockwell Collins is confident that Cabin Connect will fulfill IFE connectivity promises and deliver a comprehensive solution for global airlines.