Denver, Colorado | May 1, 2018–AirSatOne, a satellite communications provider, and AnsuR, a technical innovations company, announced today that AirSatOne has become a reseller and technical support provider for AnsuR’s RAIDO software.

The RAIDO software is designed for high precision photo / video capture and communication, as well as real time video streaming from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Special Mission manned aircraft. The RADIO software suite is scalable to include fully remote control of the camera on board the aircraft or to simply stream video in the most efficient manner possible given the type of connection and available bandwidth.

The AnsuR RAIDO product line provides ability for users to focus bandwidth on the most important content with operational effect, real-time visual communication sharing, where observations are initially pushed using minimum data to preview photos, video storyboard or live streaming. With Focus Capacity the user can zoom in on relevant content, using AnsuR’s Interactive Communication, for high quality close up’s without having to transmit the entire area in the optical view of the camera which saves data usage, cost and keeps the required bandwidth to a minimum. Savings can be as high as 99%.

According to Jo Kremsreiter, President of AirSatOne, “Adding the AnsuR RAIDO solution to our existing infrastructure means the customer gets our exclusive Flightstream SA features which includes network traffic control with prioritization allowing the user to define priority classes to streaming video, flight controls and other mission critical communications to make sure high priority data reaches its destination even when 100% of the allocated bandwidth is being used. We also provide Hybrid Satellite / Terrestrial connectivity with IP-Sec, Leased Line and MPLS so we can deliver the video to the customers destination and provide network security”

AnsuR Technologies has tested the solution using the Cobham AVIATOR UAV-200 Satcom Terminal specifically designed for UAV’s (Booth 2627) which provides connectivity at up to 200 kbps in a lightweight package of less than 1.5 kg. From the receiver side the users can control how to use the bandwidth for the video, changing frame rate, resolution and compression quality. It is also possible to toggle cropping of the video so that the regions of interest have highest possible precision. The results show operationally good quality video at the available rates.

In addition to the real-time streaming, RAIDO provides the options to access the original video and photo quality and immediately pull more details, up to full camera resolution, from a still photo or a video clip. Both are possible to generate form the video stream or can come from a separate camera.

Actual video of the solution can be found on AnsuR´s or Airsatone’s web site.

March 13, 2018– With the latest enhanced version of Flightstream™ SA, AirSatOne is the first aviation Satcom provider to offer HTTPS web filtering. With the new version of Flightstream SA, customers benefit from more flexibility and more security while surfing the web. Flightstream SA offers a full set of internet security and management features, changes can be made through our customer portal at any time to a single aircraft, the entire fleet or a group of aircraft in the fleet – anywhere in the world.

HTTPS is an encrypted website connection which is indicated by the lock icon in the address bar. HTTPS spread has been on the rise in the recent years, mostly because it is being encouraged by Google. The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s latest report states that ½ of the Internet is now protected by HTTPS. HTTPS uses port 443 by default but simply blocking port 443 means you are blindly blocking half of the internet. Your satcom service provider must use the latest technology to effectively manage HTTPS.

With our latest service enhancement to Flightstream SA aircraft operators can now control access to the internet by restricting or granting access to not only HTTP-based, but now also HTTPS-based web pages and services. Available features include domain/URL blacklist & whitelist, category-based blacklisting, file-type filtering and file-size filtering. Most importantly aviation specific encrypted web apps such as flight planning and weather services can be whitelisted to ensure connectivity while managing passenger access. For special mission operators or for customers using airborne internet for business-critical applications it is now possible to black-list all web sites at once and whitelisting secure (HTTPS) web sites and software. Flightstream SA is deployed globally at the edge of the satcom network and the public internet. Being deployed globally is important to reduce hops and latency, our backbone and its efficiency matter to passengers on your aircraft.

“AirSatOne has been providing Network Security and Cyber Security since we opened our doors in 2011, we have never left our customers unprotected and we have a mature product that just keeps getting better.” Said Jo Kremsreiter, President of AirSatOne.

This week, IFExpress has a lot of new product/services probably announced as Aircraft Interiors, Hamburg, 4 – 6 April, 2017 approaches. This ‘Big Deal IFEC’ show is the culmination of Passenger Experience Week in Hamburg 3 – 6 April. We will have more on the expo later but let’s return to the topics of this weeks IFExpress:

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INMARSAT
Inmarsat has announced a key infrastructure milestone for its European Aviation Network (EAN), following the successful test and validation of the EAN Satellite Access Station (SAS). As the first solution in the world to integrate connectivity from a satellite, operated by Inmarsat, and a LTE-based ground network, operated by Deutsche Telekom, EAN will provide a true in-flight broadband experience for millions of airlines passengers traveling throughout Europe. The SAS is located in the Greek town of Nemea and operated under an agreement with OTE, the largest telecommunications provider in Greece and member of the Deutsche Telekom Group. Engineers undertook rigorous performance and stability tests to verify the SAS’s capabilities to serve as a reliable and robust gateway between Inmarsat’s S-band satellite and the internet. The SAS consists of a 13-meter antenna that provides feeder links to the satellite, a radio frequency sub-system and a radio access network provided by Inmarsat partner Cobham SATCOM. And if you want to see a video that does a good job of explaining the program, check out the video on  youTube

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IFPL
Inflight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC) specialists IFPL will be showcasing their latest power solutions at AIX 2017 in Hamburg. With new consumer devices adopting USB-C as standard, IFPL has actively engaged its customers on how this technology can be applied to IFEC and how to transition from USB-A. Along with its baseline USB-C outlet, IFPL is currently developing a range of USB–C 3.1 peripherals and solutions. Visitors to stand 2C10, we are told, can see their USB-C outlet and discuss industry adoption of this technology.

In previous shows IFPL demonstrated their high power and data USB-A 2.0 and we covered it IFExpress. These are now in-service along with IFPL’s clever reversible option. Recently, IFPL has worked closely with GORE to develop the new USB-A 3.0 module, that combined IFPL USB 3.0 with GORE Aerospace USB 3.0 cables and provides the ideal solution for delivering high power (2A, 5V DC) and data transfer (up to 5Gbps) as per USB 3.0 requirements. This gives passengers the ability to maximize the benefits of both charging their Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs) and interfacing with the Inflight Entertainment (IFE) system.

IFPL has also enhanced the capability of its existing 1225 unit, the 110V AC Universal Remote Power Outlet, with the addition of a high power USB-A socket and will be demonstrating the new 2011 unit on the stand. In addition, IFPL has been working with key industry partners to develop a new range of power solutions that focus on ensure ergonomic and aesthetic seat integration. The combined approach delivered a system that maximizes the use of the physical space of the seat and seamlessly design the USB outlet into the actual seat arm. The result is an attractive installation of a fully integrated system that has no impact on passenger legroom. As always, IFPL’s established range of IFEC products and solutions will be on display and the expert team from IFPL will be on hand to discuss any requirements that visitors to AIX 2017 may have.

Editor’s Note: IFPL is based on the Isle of Wight, just off the South Coast of England. Founded 20 years ago by CEO Geoff Underwood, IFPL today enjoys one of the largest portfolio of proven IFEC products and services in its sector.

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SITAONAIR
Airline passengers flying to and from the Ivory Coast can now expect a connected experience, as national airline, Air Cote d’Ivoire (VRE), signs up for inflight passenger connectivity services from world-leading provider SITAONAIR. The new deal will deliver connectivity solutions to VRE’s brand new A320s, in the form of SITAONAIR’s Internet ONAIR and Mobile ONAIR products. With Internet ONAIR onboard, airlines can offer passengers seamless inflight internet access, connecting their personal devices by opening a browser – just as they would with a public Wi-Fi hotspot. Airlines can use Internet ONAIR to personalize their passenger relationships by developing a portal that can offer an interactive and engaging experience for the passenger. It also offers opportunities for airlines to grow their ancillary revenues. Mobile ONAIR, meanwhile, offers passengers an airborne mobile phone service that enables them to make phone calls, send texts and use their mobile phone data inflight, through an extensive number of roaming partners in Africa and across the world. In June 2017, SITAONAIR’s teams will begin activating Internet ONAIR and Mobile ONAIR on five new Air Côte d’Ivoire A320s equipped with Airbus’ Airline Network Architecture (ALNA) server platform. The services will make use of SwiftBroadband, an IP-based data service from Inmarsat that SITAONAIR, as distributor, will operate as service provider.

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AirSatOne
Aviation Satcom provider, AirSatOne, announces lower rates for its SwiftBroadband connectivity. Taking care of customers is a top priority at AirSatOne and one reason why the company maintains a 99% customer retention rate. So when Inmarsat, the leader in global satellite communications, lowered its prices AirSatOne was quick to pass the savings on to its customers. Customers using AirSatOne as their service provider have access to its custom global network for the same price as the generic network used by the competition. AirSatOne’s custom network includes worldwide teleports and IP PoP (Internet Point of Presence) with advanced network security and our globally deployed Flightstream SA which provides web filtering, compression, consumption tracking and firewall customized for mobile communications.

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AIRBUS
When Lufthansa’s new long-haul Airbus A350-900 enters service this coming Friday, passengers will experience a cabin lighting concept tailored to the human biorhythm for the first time – 24 different lighting scenarios on board ensure that passengers reach their destination well-rested and with less jetlag than is typical for a long-haul flight. The scientific concept for the new lighting technique originates with the “jetlite” startup, anchored in the aviation cluster, and was brought to market-readiness assisted by the six-month Airbus BizLab accelerator program.

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PANASONIC AVIONICS
Effective immediately, Hideo Nakano will serve as CEO of Panasonic Avionics, succeeding Paul Margis, who has left the company. Mr. Nakano is an avionics industry veteran and was most recently the Deputy CEO of Panasonic Avionics. His previous experience at Panasonic includes serving as CFO of Panasonic’s Automotive & Industrial Systems Company, the largest of Panasonic Corp.’s four internal companies, as well as CFO of Panasonic Corporation of North America. Panasonic Avionics has also appointed Mark Jennings to serve in the new position of Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Mr. Jennings will be responsible for duties related to operations, engineering, sales and marketing. Mr. Jennings joined Panasonic Avionics in 1998 as Regional Director based in Dubai and most recently served as Vice President of Operations. Additionally, Seigo Tada has been named Chief Financial Officer of PAC. He succeeds Paul Bottiaux, who has left the company. Mr. Tada will maintain his position as VP of Finance and Controller of Panasonic Corporation of North America. Mr. Tada joined Panasonic in 1985 and has held roles of increasing responsibility within the finance function throughout his time with the company, including ten years in the United States. You can read more here.

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LUFTHANSA TECHNIC
LT just completed Ka Band connectivity on it’s first VIP A330 and installing similar technology on some 32 Lufthansa A320 planes PER MONTH!

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GLOBAL CONNECTED AIRCRAFT SUMMIT
Here is the agenda. The summit happens Wednesday, June 7, through Friday, June 9. this year.

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MORE

• OK, so flying over America may be challenging right now, how about a movie? Hang on, it’s a mind blower! – Flying Over America – YouTube
• Obviously these folks read our article about BOSE Noise cancellation headphones for flying – The best noise-canceling wireless headphones that you can buy | Page 2 | Digital Trends
• Confused about Wi-Fi? Here is a great source of info on the standard ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) channel frequencies and bandwidth
• And if you are seeing 2017 Aviation headwinds, you might be correct – Aviation Industry Could Face Headwinds In 2017

APEX/IFSA
The other day, we got a note from Robin Applebaum, APEX Marketing Communication Director we thought you might like to see: “I wanted to reach out to you today with some exciting news from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) and the International Flight Service Association (IFSA). This morning, APEX and IFSA announced a more tightly aligned relationship to better serve the global airline industry. This step will help to further solidify APEX as the industry’s most influential member-based organization dedicated to elevating the entire passenger experience; and will help IFSA to grow globally as the pivotal airline association of the catering and in-flight services market. While both APEX and IFSA will remain fully independent, this alliance triggers additional collaboration in the planning of association co-locations and events, joint working groups, reciprocal guest board member attendance at board meetings, as well as now having a common Chief Executive Officer serving both associations.”

When we asked for more background info, she responded: “As I am sure you are aware, APEX and the International Flight Service Association (IFSA), have had a long established ‘sister-association relationship.’ Last week’s announcement only serves to further align the two groups. As part of this strategic relationship, APEX will be leveraging IFSA to represent the foundation of the association’s catering and services sector. “This will not only help the association to grow its footprint, but will also further solidify APEX as the industry’s most influential member-based organization dedicated to elevating the entire passenger experience. For IFSA, aligning with APEX will help them to expand its reach globally, build additional strategic partnerships with like-minded organizations, and establish itself as the industry’s global representative of the growing catering and in-flight/onboard hospitality market.”

“Additionally, the inclusion of more catering and service elements at APEX events will attract greater numbers of senior airline decision makers who oversee this sector as well as IFE by offering a greater diversification of products, services and information. As demonstrated at APEX EXPO in Singapore, this type of approach yields an increase in potential customers for event exhibitors and other vendor participants. Finally, it will help to better position APEX events against the backdrop of assertive for-profit show competition.”

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Gogo
“To celebrate the fleet-wide upgrade to their new JAL SKY NEXT product, the airline will start offering free Wi-Fi on all equipped domestic flights from February 1, 2017 till August 31st 2017. Connectivity is provided through Gogo using our satellite Internet technology. You’ll find the SKY NEXT product on select 777 -300, 777-200, 767-300 and 737-800 aircraft. JAL was our first international customer, and we’ve been honored to partner with them since 2014 on connectivity and entertainment for their domestic passengers.

This promotion from JAL is just one of the latest to offer Gogo products and services free to their passengers. Last year, we partnered with T-Mobile to provide free Wi-Fi to their subscribers, and most recently, Alaska Airlines rolled out their Free ChatTM product which lets passengers access popular chat apps like iMessage, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp on their smartphone.

In addition to connectivity promotions, we also provide the technology allowing airlines to offer free wireless entertainment to their customers. The product, called Gogo Vision, streams movies and TV shows from our airborne server to most mobile devices, laptops and tablets. Movies and TV shows from Gogo Vision can now be found on more than 2800 aircaft on some the largest airlines in the world. Today, many of Gogo’s airline partners are offering all or some of the content free to passengers.”

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AirSatOne
Aviation Satcom provider, AirSatOne, announces lower rates for its SwiftBroadband connectivity. Taking care of customers is a top priority at AirSatOne and one reason why the company maintains a 99% customer retention rate. So when Inmarsat, the leader in global satellite communications, lowered its prices AirSatOne was quick to pass the savings on to its customers.

Customers using AirSatOne as their service provider have access to its custom global network for the same price as the generic network used by the competition. AirSatOne’s custom network includes worldwide teleports and IP PoP (Internet Point of Presence) with advanced network security and our globally deployed Flightstream SA which provides web filtering, compression, consumption tracking and firewall customized for mobile communications.

“We think this is an exciting time for the Satcom market. With more and more operators and executives finding it essential to conduct business and stay in sync with the home office while traveling, we hope reducing airtime charges will encourage more aircraft owners to invest in installing Satcom systems in their aircraft,” says Kremsreiter. Satcom systems work everywhere (except at the poles) so in addition to increasing productivity, Satcom hardware increases the aircraft’s value and worldwide marketability when it comes time to sell.

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SITA
Airlines and airports are investing in technologies to help predict and prepare for future events. This is according to The Future is Predictable, a report published today by air transport IT provider, SITA. It outlines how efforts are being made to tackle the estimated US$25 billion[1] cost of flight disruptions to the air transport industry by harnessing artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, predictive analytics and other progressive technical capabilities.

SITA’s analysis reveals that predictive tools using artificial intelligence and cognitive computing are likely to be adopted by half of airlines and airports over the coming five to 10 years. However, a few front runners are already trialing predictive modeling, machine learning, and data mining. These efforts are mainly focused on initiatives that will provide passengers with more relevant information about their journey to create more seamless and personal experiences.

During 2017, SITA Lab will be validating delay predictions with airlines and airports and expects to complete up to five trials with its industry partners. The next stage will be to incorporate its delay prediction algorithm and disruption warning feeds into SITA’s services to the air transport industry. In the report, leading airports and airlines share their experiences including Gatwick Airport where a seamless passenger experience from curb to gate is the goal. Here several different areas of airport activity are tracked to measure performance and move towards predicting it.

As artificial intelligence develops the importance of maintaining the human touch is not lost on the airlines and airports. Indeed, the combination of people and artificial intelligence is described as transforming the travel experience. The science of artificial intelligence is developing quickly and airlines and airports are turning to the academic community to help them with predictive tools to tackle disruptions. SITA’s report discusses research that is being carried out with scientists from Binghamton University, State University of New York; University of Nottingham as part the European Union-funded consortium PASSME; Carnegie Mellon University; Oxford University’s Data Science Laboratory in the Mathematical Institute and University College London School of Management.

The Future is Predictable combines SITA’s global industry experience and studies with commentary and case studies from airports and airlines that are investing in the latest research and technologies.

Check out the full press release here.
For further details download SITA’s full report – The Future is Predictable

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Phitek
New Zealand-based audio equipment and technology developer Phitek Systems has been sold to New York-listed Amphenol Corp, providing an exit for a number of domestic VC investors. Phitek’s previous backers include Direct Capital-managed TMT Ventures and Stephen Tindal’s K1W1 investment vehicle. TMT, which has been invested since 2005, has a direct 27 per cent and a 14 per cent holding shared with the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund. Meanwhile, K1W1 owns 39 per cent. Phitek designs and supplies aircraft in-flight entertainment interconnect products for the commercial aerospace industry. You can read more here.

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Lufthansa Technik
Luftahansa Technik has announced a two-in-one solution (TIOS) antenna radome for the Boeing 737-700 and -800. The antenna, installed on the vertical stabilizer to reduce drag and positively affect the aircraft’s center of gravity, will make it possible to install Ka-band antennas to provide high-speed internet, TV connections and a high-definition camera. The radome is up to 200 lb. (100 kg) lighter than the original and is FAA validated and has an EASA Supplemental Type Certification. You can find satellite communication options, products, services and companies in MRO Links, MRO-Network.com’s searchable directory.

TIOS – Two antennas under one radome – YouTube

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Notes

• Rich Salter told IFExpress: “Re: data transmission via light (LiFi), I just signed on to Moderate a session at AIX’ Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) on April 3 in Hamburg. It is the Tech Horizons session (last one of the day) in the Connected Journey track, and one of the presenters is Prof Harald Haas of Edinburgh who is founder of PureLiFi  – and he coined the term “LiFi” too.”
• Richie Sugimoto reports that Aircraft Cabin Systems has just received Certification of ISO9001 and AS9100 – Congratulations!

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More Stuff

• The death of IFE? The death of in-flight entertainment? American Airlines scraps screens and tells fliers to bring their own
• Cabin networks and Wi-Fi feature in Crystal Cabin Awards 2017
• Is this starting to smell funny? Delta Halts U.S. Flights as Another Computer Failure Strikes – Bloomberg

Chesterfield, MO | February 1, 2017–

Aviation Satcom provider, AirSatOne, announces lower rates for its SwiftBroadband connectivity.  Taking care of customers is a top priority at AirSatOne and one reason why the company maintains a 99% customer retention rate. So when Inmarsat, the leader in global satellite communications, lowered its prices AirSatOne was quick to pass the savings on to its customers.

Customers using AirSatOne as their service provider have access to its custom global network for the same price as the generic network used by the competition.   AirSatOne’s custom network includes worldwide teleports and IP PoP (Internet Point of Presence) with advanced network security and our globally deployed Flightstream™ SA which provides web filtering, compression, consumption tracking and firewall customized for mobile communications.

“This is the second time AirSatOne has been able to reduce airtime prices for our customers, “said President Jo Kremsreiter.  AirSatOne’s worldwide SwiftBroadband price reduction is especially significant because airtime charges for the domestic US only Go-Go system are on the rise.

“We think this is an exciting time for the Satcom market. With more and more operators and executives finding it essential to conduct business and stay in sync with the home office while traveling, we hope reducing airtime charges will encourage more aircraft owners to invest in installing Satcom systems in their aircraft,” says  Kremsreiter.  Satcom systems work everywhere (except at the poles) so in addition to increasing productivity, Satcom hardware increases the aircraft’s value and worldwide marketability when it comes time to sell.

AirSatOne’s 2017 SwiftBroadband price guides are online and can be viewed or downloaded on the company’s website. AirSatOne is the only Aviation Satcom provider not afraid to publish our price guides on-line: https://airsatone.com/satcom-airtime-price-guides

• FlightStream products support on-board smartphone voice and text.

St. Louis, Missouri | March 30, 2016– AirSatOne has certified its network for compatibility with Wi-Fi Calling, a new feature now offered by all major U.S., and some international, cell phone carriers. With Wi-Fi calling passengers and flight crew can use their own smart phone for phone calls and text messaging on business jets during all phases of flight. “With Wi-Fi Calling, when the mobile phone loses cellular coverage but Wi-Fi is available, it automatically switches to Wi-Fi for calls and text messages, allowing the phone to work the same as it does every day on the ground,” explains Jo Kremsreiter, President of AirSatOne.

Wi-Fi Calling is a standard feature baked in to a smart phone’s operating software which means there is no need to install third-party applications and the phone uses the same cellular number when connected to a Wi-Fi network. Wi-Fi calling also automatically transfers in-progress calls from cellular to Wi-Fi and provides the same user experience and services including texting, call waiting, and multi-party calling. Kremsreiter reports that “testing of Wi-Fi Calling over AirSatOne systems has revealed extremely clear voice and virtually no background noise”.

Customers using AirSatOne as their Satcom provider can immediately tap into Wi-Fi Calling. No hardware or software installation is required and there is no charge for Wi-Fi Calling access through AirSatOne’s network, although standard Satcom data usage and cellular provider voice charges do apply to Wi-Fi calls.

Built in smartphone Wi-Fi Calling uses a technology called Adaptive Multi-Rate Wideband (AMR-WB) which is an audio codec with compression optimized for speech coding. AMR-WB supports dynamic adaptation to network conditions using lower bit rates during network congestion or degradation while preserving audio quality. This means that a smartphone with Wi-Fi calling makes adjustments based on the Wi-Fi network it is connected to. Because aircraft Satcom systems have limited bandwidth, when the AMR software detects this, calls are automatically adjusted to a lower bit rate to fit through the pipe which also uses less data.

Last week, IFExpress got a very interesting letter from Mr. Jo Kremsreiter, President of AirSatOne concerning a new communication/connectivity development (service) that he is rolling out for Business Jets, and it rides on Inmarsat’s L-Band, SwiftBroadband. In a nutshell, the voice calling feature that he is debuting, relies on a cellphone app that uses the standard Wi-Fi signal from a un-modified aircraft Wi-Fi router. He wrote: “…AirSatOne is has certified an app that allows business jet passengers use their smart phone on the aircraft to make and receive calls – and more. What is unique about what we have done allows the biz jet passengers to use a commercially available app on the aircraft which saves them quite a bit of money plus no (special hardware) install required since it runs in the cloud.” This, plus the news release caught our attention so we decided to a bit dig a bit deeper as we usually do. Before we get started here are a couple facts that might help you catch the “spin” on this system. Consider this a setup to deliver a better story:

1. Inmarsat Satcom voice calls on biz jet aircraft that usually entail aircraft handsets or special solutions to deliver passenger voice.
2. Unfortunately, in the old process, the only way to contact a passenger or flight crew member was to call the aircraft through the Satcom international number or a specially assigned 10 digit number – the aircraft handsets will then ring. With this method a call is not placed to an individual who may or may not be on the aircraft. But the AirSatOne solution allows a caller to dial the individual’s phone number, their same number used all the time, even on the ground, and reach them on their smart phone while they are on the aircraft. The technology that allows this is the RingCentral app loaded on the smart phone.
3. While the “cloud” is still on the ground, dialing a number for a phone that is airborne will be directed to the aircraft, by it… regardless from where, or on what, one is calling.
4. With AirSatOne’s app solution, the user still pays the Inmarsat data fees, but not the requirement to install expensive hardware, and the installation costs and downtime associated with special hardware are gone as well. All three are replaced with a $24.99 fee per month, per app loaded phone. Inflight users get voice, data, and text messaging over their device.
5. We note that the RingCentral app on a phone will work with any Wi-Fi: airborne or on the ground.

The System
To get a better understanding of the total system, checkout this link for the diagram of the system layout. There are three things that you should note: the aircraft setup, the ASO FlightStream SA (System Administration) block, and the “Cloud”.

• Aircraft – A standard aircraft Wi-Fi router is installed on the biz jet regular 802.11 Wi-Fi transmissions. The cellphone also has the RingCentral VoIP app installed… that’s it!
• ASO FlightStream SA – Deployed world wide at, or near, the Inmarsat hubs (and other locations). ASO’s servers are located to deliver better service – in other words, FlightStream SA delivers data management by providing firewall, compression, filtering and consumption notifications via email, and is deployed globally at, or near, Inmarsat hubs to help speed.
• The ‘Cloud’ – The established VoIP ‘Cloud’ today handles signal directivity and locates and directs based on existing telephone numbers and existing devices. Today’s Cloud is smart and that is what helps to allow existing device usage – either devices to the plane, or from the plane via SwiftBroadband.

The Service

We asked Mr. Kremsreiter to trace a call flow, so we asked for a ‘flow’ description, and Jo told IFExpress: The VoIP PBX system running in the cloud handles call routing and keeps the call alive when handing off between cellular and Wi-Fi or when handing off, for example, from your iPhone to your home phone or transferring the cell call to your office desktop phone. The system knows the iPhone (or Android device) is on the aircraft because the smart phone will ‘check in’ through the aircrafts Wi-Fi that eventually gets to the cloud VoIP PBX via FlightStream SA and the Internet. In other words, when John CEO gets on the aircraft it will connect to the Wi-Fi in the aircraft. The Wi-Fi in the aircraft goes to the Inmarsat satellite, down to the ground, through our FlightStream SA and out to the internet to the cloud VoIP PBX saying “I am here”. When we asked about the ‘Cloud’ and it’s importance, Jo noted: “The VoIP PBX system running in the cloud handles call routing and keeps the call alive when handing off between cellular and Wi-Fi or when handing off, for example, from your iPhone to your home phone or transferring the cell call to your office desktop phone. The system knows the iPhone is on the aircraft because the iPhone will ‘check in’ through the aircrafts Wi-Fi which eventually gets to the cloud VoIP PBX via FlightStream SA and the Internet.”

Satcom voice calling is offered today by at least three vendors. The service providers do this but you need specialized hardware on the aircraft. Noted Mr. Kremsreiter. “For example the SDR by Satcom Direct which costs around $35,000 + install + downtime for the install = $70 to $75K and these numbers can be found in the following article. “Note in the article: “All that is required to access the “Global VT” service is a Satcom Direct Router (SDR) in the aircraft, with the latest software update, and a smart phone”. The author added that the unit, which costs around $35,000, and the article goes on to mention that the cost of putting another system that is basically a picocell (or GSM access point) in the aircraft. This picocell system costs around $250K in a business jet and up to $1M in a BBJ!”

Importantly, AirSatOne’s FlightStream SA reduces satellite signal load and frees up bandwidth for VoIP calls. How? Noted Jo: “It does so by blocking advertisements, it provides text and image compression, and finally, it can block unwanted downloads and limit file sizes. Bandwidth comes at a premium for aircraft so being able to lighten the load allows VoIP to work better on the aircraft. It is also critical for a service like this to operate efficiently, our competitors have similar offerings that do less and are located at a single location. Our FlightStream SA is deployed globally at or near Inmarsat hubs which means more efficient handling and in turn less latency, fewer hops and a shorter distance to travel.”
More info here
Video Here

Noted Jo: “It is important because business jet passengers and flight crews want to use the same smartphone they use every day to send and receive phone calls on the ground, using their own land based phone number – not a special number for only the aircraft. They want their phone to ring when they get that important call – no matter where they are including at 35,000 ft flying over the N Atlantic on their own phone number!”

The Network

First, you should probably watch this YouTube video to get an idea how the folks at ASO interface with the Inmarsat Swift Broadband Network and realize they have located servers at the Inmarsat hubs. Further, there are additional hubs located to provide even better connectivity. Noted Mr. Kremsreiter: “Unlike our competition we offer choices. You can use the same generic network offered by our competition or we can connect your aircraft to a more robust network designed by Astrium, the same company that built the SwiftBroadband satellites. This backbone allows us to connect your aircraft through an advanced global network backed by 24/7 ‘follow the sun’ support – and we offer this for the same price. While this expensive technology may cut into our margins, we feel the benefit to our customers outweighs the cost.”

Finally, Mr. Kremsreiter told IFExpress, “Bottom line is with our competitor’s solution, for $70 – $75,000 you can solve a problem on one aircraft and you are not solving a problem with cell coverage on the ground. That price is a solution for one aircraft, for a fleet multiply that number by the number of aircraft. With the RingCentral app you can solve the problem on the aircraft (or fleet), have phone coverage on the ground when cell service is weak or non-existent, or overseas and you also get to add a lot of other cool features like integration with CRM software, conference calling, swapping calls from iPhone to home phone to desktop – plus it allows collaboration for projects and file sharing and also text messaging. Our solution starts at $24.99 per month, per phone. We did the testing and certification with the $24.99 a month application so it does not require a more expensive plan.”

In conclusion, VoIP phone calls over regular Wi-Fi hardware on biz jet aircraft have a new solution and it only requires a RingCentral app. Today on the ground, this is pretty much how we use VoIP with our regular Wi-Fi/cellphone calling and it was just a matter of time before someone figured out that this solution really benefitted the biz jet traveler. One note, we understand this app will work with almost any airplane Wi-Fi. Additionaly, notes Jo, “Users should use our FlightStream SA to lighten the load and have more available bandwidth – We did not test it without FlightStream SA and therefore it was not certified by us for use without it, however, any Wi-Fi will work.” Perhaps, this solution is bigger than we think. Stay Tuned!

For more information on AirSatOne contact Jo Kremsreiter

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We owe a mea culpa to BOSE! Last week’s reference to their new A20 Aviaiton Headsets had the incorrect hyperlink attached. Here is the correct one.

Chesterfield, MO | April 2014 — AirSatOne released their new price guides for SwiftBroadband that offers lower price points with no long-term commitments. Standard activation and expedited activations are free of charge and includes up to 10 MB of data for testing. Heavy data consumers also have plans available with rates further reduced. Price guides are online and can be viewed or downloaded on AirSatOne’s web site. Fleet pricing is available upon request, and allows operators to buy bulk airtime at even lower price points and to share airtime between aircraft in the fleet. “Doing a price comparison for a customer using approximately 1,000 MB of data a month on a high gain system reveals a savings of $14,000 a year,” said Jo Kremsreiter President of AirSatOne.

In addition to lower data rates, AirSatOne is offering FlightStream SA service at no additional charge. FlightStream SA does not require hardware or software to be installed on the aircraft, is designed to simplify management of inflight internet services, and offers a full set of web filtering, compression and data management features that can be turned on or off and changed at any time without having to gain access to the aircraft. Changes can be made to single aircraft or wholesale to an entire fleet or groups of aircraft in the fleet. Fleet operators have the option of creating virtual groups of aircraft for simple and quick account management and to administer internet policies to the group. The service also allows the ability to analyze traffic usage, both near real-time and historical, and instantly block high bandwidth sites that are causing excessive data usage. FlightStream SA is deployed worldwide on internet point-of-presence located at or near satellite earth stations allowing the most efficient handling of data going to and from the aircraft. Our internet point-of-presence are located in New York City (USA), London (UK), Amsterdam (NL), Aussaguel (FR), Oslo (NO) and Hong Kong (CN).
Price guides can be viewed and downloaded on AirSatOne’s web site at any time.

Chesterfield, MO | February 19, 2014– AirSatOne today introduced Flightstream SA, a free service that allows the aircraft operator to speed up their SatCom internet and save on data usage. FlightStream SA offers a full set of web filtering, compression and management features that can be turned on or off and changed at any time without having to gain access to the aircraft. Changes can be made to single aircraft or wholesale to an entire fleet or groups of aircraft in the fleet. Flightstream SA is ground based, does not require hardware or software to be installed on the aircraft and allows flight departments to get their highly mobile network under control.

“Our competition charges its customers for a similar service that has fewer features and operates on a limited network which means your data will have to take more hops which increases latency and slows down your internet. AirSatOne’s FlightStream SA is deployed worldwide on internet point-of-presence located at or near satellite earth stations allowing the most efficient handling of data going to and from the aircraft. Our internet point-of-presence are located in New York City (USA), London (UK), Amsterdam (NL), Aussaguel (FR), Oslo (NO) and Hong Kong (CN). It costs more to do this but it gives AirSatOne a competitive edge,” said Jo Kremsreiter, president of AirSatOne.

Flightstream SA is designed to simplify management of inflight internet services and is accessible remotely with an internet connected PC. Operators have the ability to create an aircraft network and to control their network using AirSatOne support or their own IT department. Fleet operators have the option of creating virtual groups of aircraft for simple and quick account management and to administer internet policies to the group. The service also allows the ability to analyze traffic usage, both near real-time and historical, and instantly block high bandwidth sites that are causing excessive data usage.

“AirSatOne has documented that a single device connecting to iCloud can use up to 200 megabytes (MB) of data or more, which results in airtime charges around $1,200. With FlightStream SA these updates can be blocked on a single aircraft or a group of aircraft while allowing the user(s) to have internet connectivity for normal activities,” said Jo Kremsreiter, president of AirSatOne.

FlightStream SA features:

• Account profile of a the customers aircraft(s)
• Remote configuration of personalized firewall
• Customized set of pre-configuration filters that can be implemented on demand
• Ability to see near real time traffic (data) consumption
• Fleet management capabilities with the ability to create aircraft groups for wholesale group management
• Web compression
• Web filtering with predefined categories and custom filtering
• Multi-language capability – English, German, French and Spanish.

The service is operational now and available to all AirSatOne customers.

AirSatOne is a privately held Delaware LLC with offices located on the Spirit of Saint Louis Airport in Chesterfield, Missouri. ASO customized airtime packages and hardware solutions to Aviation, Electronic News Gathering (ENG), Search and Rescue (SAR), Emergency Response, Government Agencies all backed by 24/7 support. AirSatOne offers satellite connection to Iridium and Inmarsat Satellite Communications Networks. We provide solutions for the Flight Deck and Cabin. Solutions include Broadband, Internet, Voice, Datalink, AFIS/ACARS and FANS 1/A. AirSatOne offers the most flexible airtime solutions in the industry.

Chesterfield, MO | October 17, 2013– AirSatOne optimizes its Flightstream AOC for Apple devices.

February 26, 2013– Aviation SatCom service provider AirSatOne added features to its popular Flightstream AOC AvSat router to include a totally wireless interface to existing Wi-Fi systems. The new feature allows the Flightstream AOC to be installed and functional in less than an hour. Since the device is classified as a PED operational approval is covered under the original Wi-Fi STC.

“Laptops, iPads, tablet computers & smartphones are designed to work using a ground-based connection to the internet. The way these devices send and receive data is not efficient for use over the satellite network, which results in slow web browsing, and they use more data than necessary resulting in higher airtime cost. The Flightstream AOC converts the data to a format that is more suitable for satellite communications,” said Jo Kremsreiter president of AirSatOne.

In addition to SatCom optimization, acceleration and compression the unit has a built in captive portal that can be used for individual billing creating an additional revenue source. PIN codes can also be used to restrict individuals or group access in several different ways including data volume and bandwidth. The Flightstream AOC also features traffic shaping, least cost routing and can accommodate multiple satellite systems with load balancing and failover.

The new Flightstream PN 909-865-009 is available now from AirSatOne or your avionics dealer, has a list price of $7,330 and includes 2 years warranty.
More information on the Flightstream AOC can be found here.