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Tag Archives: InFlight Broadband

Realise the potential of next generation passenger connectivity

August 30, 2012
Business Aviation News
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ARINC are offering airlines the next generation of passenger connectivity and personal electronic device support with their product Cabin Connect.

ARINC work in partnership with Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband solution to deliver enhanced bandwidth so that airline passengers can now surf the internet, send and receive email, and use universal messaging all through their own portable electronic device, be that laptop, tablet computer e.g. iPad or Playbook, smart phone or portable gaming devices.

ARINC Cabin Connect SwiftBroadband

ARINC Cabin Connect SwiftBroadband

Alongside this ARINC offer AirCrew connect, a solution offering cabin crew connectivity to allow crew to become more efficient and offer a better level of customer service to passengers inflight. Cabin crew can now act as a concierge service for those important passengers, can collect real time CRM data as well as active fault finding and reporting. Anything that can be done on paper can now be logged and sent while inflight, allowing airlines to enjoy increased operational efficiencies.

Thanks to AirCrew Connect it is also possible to do real time fault finding, providing increased efficiencies as any issues with the IFE or onboard systems can either be remedied in flight (dependent upon the airline’s IFE hardware provider) or engineers can be booked to be waiting on stand for the aircraft to arrive at its destination, thus decreasing the amount of downtime the airframe requires.

Supporting various commercial models, ARINC can work with airlines to find the best unique solution to offer to your passengers and crew, creating differentiation and increased value that can help to promote passenger loyalty.

To find out more about the service please visit the ARINC Cabin Connect website.

In Focus – In Flight Broadband

May 28, 2012
Business Aviation News
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Last week we saw the BBC cover this topic in depth.

Onboard internet has been a reality for a while, but not many passengers use it at present, because of a mix of limited availability, speed and cost.

As interest in onboard wifi increases in line with the popularity of mobile devices we heard that Inmarsat plans to launch three new ka-band satellites into orbit in the coming years, with the first in 2013.

Onboard internet is delivered by various methods. In Ka-band passengers are offered a higher speed, and the antennas required for the aircraft are smaller, but the service is vulnerable to bad weather conditions, and fewer satellites are available. In Ku-band there are more satellites but frequency and spend is reduced.

ARINC are one supplier that offers aircraft internet services to the aviation industry. Branded as Cabin Connect they are able to offer enhanced bandwidth by Inmarsat SwiftBroadband and ARIN. Airline passengers can now surf the internet, send and receive email, and use universal messaging all through their own laptop, iPad or Playbook, smart phone or portable gaming devices.

ARINC says “Supporting various commercial models, ARINC can work with airlines to find the best unique solution to offer to your passengers, creating differentiation and increased value that can help to promote passenger loyalty.”

Contact ARINC Cabin Connect to find out more.

Aircraft Broadband - Passenger Communications

In-Flight Connectivity taken to the next level by Honeywell & Inmarsat

April 23, 2012
Business Aviation News
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The next generation of in-flight connectivity systems will increase onboard broadband speeds to 50mbps Inmarsat & Honeywell said this week.

Honeywell will develop the onboard hardware that will connect to Inmarsat’s Global Xpress network, made possible by the use of the Ka-band, which is found between 26.5GHz and 40GHz.

Global Xpress is scheduled for launch in 2013, with global service availability for commercial, business aviation and government customers during 2014.

The deal between Honeywell and Inmarsat is exclusive and is estimated to result in US$2.8 billion for Honeywell in sales of hardware, customer service, and maintenance to airlines, governments and OEMs over the next two decades, according to a statement.

Inmarsat already works with ARINC to provide in-flight internet through their SwiftBroadband product in the “Cabin Connect” services. Thanks to the enhanced bandwidth offered by SwiftBroadband and ARINC’s Cabin Connect, airline passengers can surf the internet, send and receive email, and use universal messaging all through their own portable electronic device, be that laptop, tablet computer eg iPad or Playbook, smart phone or portable gaming devices.

These services are currently available for business aviation users here: cabinconnect.aero.

55th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show

April 4, 2012
Business Aviation News
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The largest gathering of avionics manufacturers, distributors and government-certified repair stations in the world is taking place now in Washington DC! An opportunity for manufacturers, distributors, technicians and business leaders to network and look at new solutions for avionics.

The official event site boasts:

  • More than 75 hours of FAA-accepted regulatory, technical and business management training.
  • More than 100 exhibitors in the AEA Exhibit Hall.
  • Meet the regulators and learn the latest issues impacting the avionics industry and your business.
  • The introduction of new avionics products for 2012.
  • AEA’s Show Specials – deep OEM to dealer discounts that could offset the cost of attending the entire show.
  • AEA’s social events, including the First-Nighter Party with a Crab and Beer Fest, the annual Awards
  • Luncheon and the Last Call Reception.

One exhibitor will be ARINC Direct offering flight support, flight planning, flight tracking, data services and flight deck communications for the business aviation community. For more information on these solutions please visit: business-flight-planning.com

ARINC sees Cabin Connect deal imminent

April 4, 2012
Business Aviation News
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This week FlightGlobal reported that ARINC expects to have a launch airline customer for its wi-fi hotspot product Cabin Connect flying before the end of this year.

ARINC Cabin Connect Passenger Communications

ARINC Cabin Connect Passenger Communications

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was at the APEX Expo last September  that the company debuted its Inmarsat SwiftBroadband-supported wi-fi solution. “We expect it to be flying commercially before the end of the year,” says ARINC’s director, satellite solutions and cabin solutions, Lee Costin, adding a customer announcement is likely in “weeks not months”.

ARINC says it has had strong activity in its SwiftBroadband business since Inmarsat appointed it an aero distribution partner. “Last year was our first full year and we’ve had phenomenal growth,” says Costin.

Inmarsat is due to roll out enhancements to the SwiftBroadband service, and ARINC hope to benefit from this. Enhancements include multiple voice channels and data speed increases from 432kbps to 700kbps. Further ahead this will be followed by Inmarsat’s Ka-band Global Xpress system based on the new generation Inmarsat-5 satellites, set for the airline market in 2014.

For more  information please visit: cabinconnect.aero

Wi-Fi Internet in the sky via satellite

March 21, 2012
Business Aviation News
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Because they have few limits on bandwidth airlines are giving satellites a second look for delivering onboard Internet services to passengers.

Satellites are an attractive option for airlines that are still figuring out the best and most affordable ways to deliver Internet on flights.

Currently most U.S. carriers offering in-flight Internet, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, US Airways, Alaska Airlines, AirTran and Virgin America, use so-called air-to-ground technology provided by Illinois-based Gogo. This system only offers limited availability the aircraft must be flying over land.

Consultant Michael Planey says “Satellites offer broadband capability that gives airlines flexibility to offer more services to passengers”.

The commercial incentive for airlines are potential additional revenue sources that will require more broadband bandwidth, including streaming videos, online shopping, booking hotels and local destination coupons.

ARINC Cabin Connect - In-flight Broadband

ARINC Cabin Connect - In-flight Broadband

Onboard internet is offered by ARINC’s Cabin Connect Service. Passengers can now browse, email, IM, tweet, shop and more direct from their own device.

For more information on how ARINC’s passenger WiFi product can revolutionise the inflight experience please visit: www.cabinconnect.aero

ARINC Offers Cabin WiFi and Diversifies Data Applications

January 17, 2012
Business Aviation News
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ARINC In Flight Broadband Technology

ARINC In Flight Broadband Technology

ARINC has already joined the crowded market for wireless Internet access in airline cabins with the unveiling of its new Cabin Connect suite of products, using Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband connection. The service allows passengers to connect online with their own portable electronic devices, through either free access provided by the airlines or prepayment when they buy their tickets.

Other projects at Arinc–a long-established flight-planning and data specialist–include integrating electronic flight bags into the cockpits of Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific’s airplanes, as well as introducing new self-service check-in kiosks at smaller airports such as Belfast City in Northern Ireland, and expanding its GlobaLink VHF datalink network, concentrating on boosting coverage in Asia.
ARINC’s Cabin Connect offers:

  • Next Generation Passenger Connectivity
  • Personal Electronic Device Support

Thanks to the enhanced bandwidth offered by SwiftBroadband and ARINC’s Cabin Connect Solution, airline passengers can now surf the internet, send and receive email, and use universal messaging all through their own portable electronic device, be that laptop, tablet computer eg iPad or Playbook, smart phone or portable gaming devices.

Supporting various commercial models, ARINC works with airlines to find the best unique solution, creating differentiation and increased value that can help to promote passenger loyalty.

More information on Cabin Connect can be found at http://www.cabinconnect.aero/.

ARINC in talks with Panasonic over Cabin Connect pairings

January 4, 2012
Business Aviation News
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InFlight Broadband by Cabin Connect
InFlight Broadband by Cabin Connect

Last month we heard that ARINC was teaming up with Panasonic Avionics on offering its new Inmarsat SwiftBroadband-supported in-flight wi-fi solution, Cabin Connect, with some of the IFEC giant’s products.

“We’ve been talking to Panasonic for a long while about different ways that we can work with them. We are really looking at [having] options where we integrate with them. Or there is another option that [sees a] configuration where we connect directly to the satcom so that we can sit alongside the in-flight entertainment,” David Harrold, an executive with Arinc, told ATI at the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) conference and exhibition in Seattle.

Unveiled at APEX, Cabin Connect is being billed as a simple connectivity system that allows airlines to easily and inexpensively bring in-flight wi-fi to passengers, since many aircraft already carry the lion’s share of necessary kit or will do so in the future.

At present, SwiftBroadband offers a data transfer rate of up to 432kbps per channel. However, Inmarsat has an upgrade path for the service, which will be implemented at the end of next year and bring the speed to 700kbps.

Arinc, meanwhile, is also “doing a number of things to improve the service”, including compressing the data going through the SwiftBroadband pipe, said Harrold

He added that, on the ground at Arinc’s data centre, the company is putting a “large amount of computing power” at the issue of speed “so in real time, we are making the images a bit smaller [and] blocking some of the adverts”, a service that is customisable to the airline’s needs and requirements.