Remember our Hot Topic last week where we sent a traveler to test Gogo Wi-Fi on a trip to Atlanta? Sounds like things did not go as well on the way back home:

“As I suspected, Gogo doesn’t work perfectly. I’m on the flight back….service is going in and out. We’re somewhere over Kansas and the connection (not the wifi, the connection to the ground) is intermittent…..They handed out free coupon codes when we boarded so there are several people using the internet. Bandwidth when it is working is 700kps down at best compared to over 1.4mps on the last flight. Upload is 200kps. Sort of annoying when you lose the ground connection and don’t really know it until you realize that nothing is happening as opposed to a ground wifi connection where you might see signal strength going down first. Here, the wifi is strong but just no connection to the ground. Some of my email accounts are also having problems authenticating with the servers so email is problematic.”

So readers, that is the other side of the story.

Never missing an opportunity to comment, we thought you might like to hear the one from Grant Sharp, Prez and CEO, WI-SKY Inflight.

“Why the great cover up? Why will no one address the fact of life that 1.3 Mbps will not, cannot, never will serve the complete needs of seasoned, bandwidth-hungry, content-intense inflight Internet users!! Yes, you can get a whopping 1.3Mbps download data rate with a 3G cellular connection (sometimes). Big deal. EVERY heavy Internet user I know says they will not use such a lame data rate as today’s inflight service – it’s a waste of timeAt the WAEA in October we plan to display our end-to-end system. This will be the base station and air-side unit, live and communicating with full back end support (identity server, VPN, splash page, payment interface, QOS, Remote Controlled Network Management, Roaming and Settlement, Subscriber Management and a few other proprietary goodies). We will be able to send you some photos just prior to the show, and you can introduce us as a “what to look for” item. And yes, we will have FCC approval by then (silencing a few of the skeptics). Our air-side box will be in certification process by then, and our first STC will also be in progress for our launch airline. Perhaps by the show, or shortly thereafter, we will be announcing several developments, including the LOI with our launch airline and at least two other airlines (maybe more). There are lots of folks in the industry who are saying “it took my company 18 months to get certified, those Wi-SKY guys won’t be live for years to come.” Others are saying “it took us 3 years to build out a ground network, so Wi-SKY won’t have coverage for years to come.” Well, news flash – they can take a demo flight on an airline in January of 2010, and then the critics will all be still.”

Grant also sent this quote from an aviation notable that you might find interesting.

“By 2011, if not before, the air-to-ground system could provide sufficient bandwidth to support a complete, ground-based IFE system, eliminating the need for a carrier to install any onboard hardware except a connectivity server.” Robert Crandall, former Chairman/CEO American Airlines/AMR, Keynote Executive address,WAEA convention, Long Beach, September 10, 2008

Lastly, we found a fairly good comparison of the domestic Internet providers…check it out! http://dvice.com/archives/2009/08/airline-wi-fi-w.php

Mission, Kansas (August 24, 2009) — TrueNorth Avionics has introduced the industry’s first broadband router application, to provide seamless integration with all brands and models of broadband equipment while virtually eliminating the need for future hardware upgrades. Resident on TrueNorth’s single-box Simphone¯ Chorus hardware platform, the new OpenCabin (OC) Router application was installed with a Rockwell Collins HST2110B (SwiftBroadband) system and offers Internet service as well as voice and data over BlackBerry®. The installation, performed aboard a Challenger CL-604 aircraft by Mid-Canada Mod Center, Mississauga, Ontario, also marks a compatibility milestone, in that TrueNorth systems are now proven to work flawlessly with every major Satcom broadband provider, including Cobham (Chelton), Thrane & Thrane, EMS Satcom, Honeywell and Rockwell Collins.

“We’re pleased to be the only airborne telecommunications provider to offer broad-ranging, plug-in compatibility with all the major Satcom equipment,” said Mark van Berkel, TrueNorth’s CEO. “And the fact that our OC Router application is simply the beginning of this application-centric approach to increased functionality and low-cost upgrades is even more exciting for the future of airborne communications,” he added. “We were happy to offer our customer such an innovative, efficient and cost-effective communications solution,” said Bill Arsenault, Mid-Canada Mod Center’s vice president. “Equally impressive was the fact that we simply plugged everything in and the entire system, comprising equipment from three different manufacturers, worked immediately —something we rarely see in this business,” he noted.

About TrueNorth: Headquartered in Ontario, Canada, with U.S. offices in New Jersey and the Kansas City area and distributor support in Dallas, TX, TrueNorth Avionics, Inc., is a world-class technology company that develops integrated communications solutions for business aviation. Its premier product, the Simphone¯ (pronounced ‘Symphony’) airborne telephone, is an executive-class system that combines superior voice quality, unmatched ease of use, advanced functionality and a unique degree of personalization. Options include embedded W-Fi, TrueNorth’s Smarter™ interface for BlackBerry® and iPhone® data, Iridium fax, and a new broadband interface. Learn more at www.truenorthavionics.com.

Westlake Village, CA (August 6, 2009)—Row 44 Inc., a provider of satellite-based in-flight Wi-Fi for commercial aircraft, received a permanent operating license from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

This license, along with the license already granted to Row 44 in Canada and right to operate agreement in Mexico, allows the company to provide uninterrupted airborne Internet service throughout the North American continent. Already holding dozens of licenses for operations throughout the world, Row 44 is well on its way to providing global coverage for in-flight broadband.

“Today’s announcement of the FCC’s ruling signals a major victory for Row 44 and our airline customers in our vision of bringing affordable broadband to the skies,” said John Guidon, CEO. “Ours is the first solution offering true broadband to airline passengers, both domestically and overseas, delivering an experience comparable to the high Internet speeds they enjoy at home and work. No longer will an airline be forced to accept an unattractive compromise between the performance it can offer and the service price it must charge. Achieving this critical regulatory milestone took us longer than we’d anticipated, but we believe our North American airline partners and their passengers will find this in-flight service well worth the wait.”

While North American regulators do not currently permit in-flight mobile phone calls or SMS text messaging, the Row 44 system will support these services. The company intends to offer these services to their airline customers throughout the world, wherever such activities are permitted and requested by airlines.

About Row 44
Founded in 2004, Row 44 Inc. is the world’s leading broadband Mobile Service Provider to commercial aviation. The company’s Wi-Fi hotspots in the sky offer the fastest broadband speeds to the plane. Row 44’s broadband solution is supported by the global infrastructure of Hughes, which has shipped more than 1.9 million broadband satellite terminals to customers in over 100 countries.

About Hughes
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in providing broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises, governments, small businesses, and consumers. HughesNet® encompasses all broadband solutions and managed services from Hughes, bridging the best of satellite and terrestrial technologies. Its broadband satellite products are based on global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU standards organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A, and GMR-1. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 1.9 million systems to customers in over 100 countries.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes
maintains sales and support offices worldwide. Hughes is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: HUGH). For additional information, please visit www.hughes.com.

While streaming is still a hot topic, we wanted to return to our Hot Topic subject of a few weeks back. This whole subject began with an article we wrote about the possibility of streaming entertainment media to the aircraft. Obviously, even to the uninformed, bandwidth to the aircraft has to increase and the cost per bit has to SIGNIFICANTLY drop. One company who has remained on the periphery of aircraft broadband (physically and technically) is Voyant (www.voyant.aero). Their approach revolves around individual broadband beams of data, formed and steered to each aircraft, operating in the double-digit GHz range and Gigabit range. Voyant has been looking at the growth (demand) of available Internet bandwidth. After our first article, Steffen Koehler, Chief Marketing Officer sent us this note:

“Remember, these systems are supposed to have 10-year lifetimes. How much bandwidth do you think each airplane passenger is going to demand in 10 years? If history is any guide, the answer is probably about 400 times the amount that they demand now. My data show consumer bandwidth demand rising by 20x every 5 years.”

He also sent along this interesting airborne bandwidth demand chart that he developed. Of course, steering this much data requires (in their case and Wi-Sky’s approach as well) individual ground-based transmission antennas. In trying to wrap our technical arms about this concept Mr. Koehler wrote:

“You’ve got exactly the right idea on what we’re doing. We use a committed ground antenna for each aircraft. In order to ensure that there is always a free antenna for any aircraft entering the vicinity, we have to overbuild the ground antennas. On average, for each plane in the air, we have about 3 antennas on the ground. That means that the ground antennas have to be cheap, cheap, cheap! The good news is that they are. While we require a lot of antennas, the antennas themselves are pretty low-cost. When we first thought about this a few years ago, we considered omni-directional antennas, but we just couldn’t figure out how to get enough bandwidth to the planes using omnis (omnidirectional antennas). And for all the reasoning that you detail in your article, we believe that those sorts of bandwidth throughputs are a must-have. Otherwise, you might as well ignore WiFi and just put in enough cellular service for text messages.”

More next week!

Related Stuff:
Check this out: Inmarsat conference presentations

A scavenger hunt, in the air?

A techie did some inflight performance tests on Go-Go, by AirCell – Check it out here.

Lastly, Boeing’s Current Market Outlook is out. You can download it here. Note that there various opinions on the validity of their data and predictions:

• http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/170935.asp
• http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/171104.asp
• http://seekingalpha.com/article/143225-boeing-s-current-market-outlook

New technology making affordable, full-scale Internet service available to a whole new category of business aircraft

BROOMFIELD, CO – June 10, 2009 – Aircell, the world’s leading provider of airborne communications, announces that Cessna will offer Aircell’s new High Speed Internet system as a factory option aboard its Citation XLS+, Citation Sovereign and Citation X business jets. Having delivered more than 190,000 aircraft in its history, Cessna is the world’s largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes, and this selection continues a longstanding relationship between the two companies.

“Companies operate business aircraft to get more done – plain and simple – and nothing increases productivity more than having a full-scale Internet connection available in flight,” said Roger Whyte, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Cessna Aircraft Company. “The Aircell High Speed Internet system is a game-changer because it’s the first system that provides a true high speed Internet experience like that to which passengers are accustomed to on the ground, while being small and light enough to fit comfortably into our midsize Citations. The system’s high data rates, relatively low acquisition cost and affordable monthly service fees all combine to create an unmatched value proposition for our customers,” concluded Whyte.

Powered by the Aircell® Network, the Aircell High Speed Internet system allows passengers to use their own Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, tablet PCs, smartphones and PDAs, to surf the Web, send and receive e-mail with attachments, access their corporate Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and much more – all at full mobile broadband speeds in flight.

The Aircell Network utilizes the latest 3G mobile wireless technology, operating in the U.S. over an advanced network of ground stations and Aircell’s exclusive broadband air-to-ground spectrum. The system is up to 56 times faster than a traditional dial-up connection. The High Speed Internet unit for business aviation (ATG 4000) weighs just 11 pounds, and the two belly-mounted antennae weigh just 1.25 pounds each.

John Wade, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Aircell, commented, “We’re very pleased to continue our longstanding relationship with Cessna. Before Aircell High Speed Internet, the cost and weight of high-speed connectivity was prohibitive for most Citation operators and we’re pleased to bring a whole new dimension of capabilities to those customers,” he concluded.

The first Aircell High Speed Internet system installations from the Cessna factory will be available for new Citation XLS+, Sovereign, and Citation X aircraft to deliver in the second quarter of 2010.

In addition to its popularity in the business aviation market, the commercial airline version of the service – Gogo® Inflight Internet – has been selected by airlines representing more than half of the North American mainline market. The system is flying today with American Airlines, Virgin America, Delta Air Lines and AirTran Airways. It is coming soon to Air Canada and United Airlines.

Please note that aircraft upgrades such as the Aircell High Speed Internet system may be eligible for bonus tax depreciation under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

About Aircell
Aircell is the world’s leading provider of airborne communications and a single-source, turnkey provider of equipment, service, and technical support. With a global sales and support presence, its products are offered by virtually every fixed- and rotor-wing airframe manufacturer in business aviation, and are installed aboard the world’s four largest fractional ownership fleets. As winner of an exclusive FCC frequency license in 2006, Aircell has built a revolutionary new mobile broadband network for commercial and business aviation. In 2008, the Aircell® Network and its inflight portal, known as Gogo®, revolutionized the commercial airline passenger flight experience by delivering a robust Internet experience at 35,000 feet. The Aircell Network provides airlines with connectivity to operations and a path to enhanced cabin services such as video, audio, television and more. A similar feature set is available to Business aircraft operators. Aircell has facilities in Broomfield, Colorado, and Itasca, Illinois. Aircell’s vision is to give everyone the ability to stay In Touch, In Flight®. For more information about Aircell, please visit www.aircell.com.

Dear Readers… Just when we thought we had heard just about everything about connectivity and were sure the “Big Dogs” has everything sewed up, along comes a new and refreshing solution to getting bandwidth to the plane. Yes, it is ground-based and it is simplicity itself, but the idea is one that resonated with us because it is so cool and clever. On the ground (100 stations needed), Wi-Sky has developed an electrically steered beam forming antenna that delivers approximately 45 Mbps to each and every plane in its tracked sector – it has a beamwidth of some 4° horizontal degrees. On the aircraft, another novel approach ties multiple sectored antennas together to cover the needed 360 degrees under the airplane. The signals are delivered inside the cabin via standard Wi-Fi WAP’s and with 13 channel allotments of in the band, can easily deliver a planes worth of bandwidth in one channel. The interesting part about the technology is the frequency band – unlicensed IEEE 802.11b/g and n in the 2.4 GHz band, while power levels run at an amazingly low 1 watt! Even at these low power levels, beam shaping and high gain antennas delivered (in tests) bandwidth in the 20 to 50 Mbps range. At that rate, everybody can watch YouTube (See tests below or on YouTube).

Necessarily closed mouthed, President and CEO, Grant Sharp talked to IFExpress about their testing and aspirations but there is wealth of information on their website. One thing for sure is that the shipset chipset costs of their hardware, and ground equipment for that matter, will be quite competitive with any other gear. Think about it, at Wi-Fi frequencies a lot of COTS hardware will fit the bill and with no up front frequency allocation charges, their costs will be reasonable. OK, as reasonable as avionics can get. You can meet Grant at the WAEA TC meeting in July in Everett WA. (See last weeks Hot Topic). Be sure to look up their website www.wi-skyllc.com and check out the pedigrees of the top team and if you are not conversant with ODFM, you might try the Wikipedia link too.

The Tests: Grant wrote us, “The attached video is a screen capture of an Internet Performance test (iperf) which transfers bulk data packets from our radio on the ground to the radio in the plane. At one-second intervals, the report displays how much data was actually transferred. It also calculates the data rate transfer each second. You will see that we are transferring data at a rate between 35 Mbps and 45 Mbps. In the background on the screen is Microsoft MapPoint with GPS tracking the path of the plane. Our base station radio is located in Mountain View, CA. The red arrow on the screen indicates the location of the plane. You can see that we are close to Interstate-5, which in that instance is 54 miles from our base station. The upper left corner of the screen shows the speed of the aircraft, altitude, time, longitude and latitude. During our test flight last Tuesday, airline representatives plugged in multiple computers and simultaneously made Skype video calls, previewed iTunes online, viewed a web cam of their kitchen back home, played numerous YouTube videos, downloaded an 8.8 Megabyte email attachment in a few seconds, viewed smooth-flowing video preview trailers and logged onto their VPN at their office. These tasks are simply not possible with the current slow DSL link that the airlines are offering today”

• Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi for more Wi-Fi info.
• Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6Kw1qsqPRY
• Screen Shot of inflight test results (PDF)

ORLANDO, Fla., and ITASCA, Ill., May 12 – AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI), announced today that it will be the first major airline to offer passengers wireless, broadband Internet access on every flight.

AirTran Airways is partnering with Aircell, the leader in airborne communications for business and commercial aviation, to offer passengers full inflight Internet service across its entire fleet of Boeing 737 and 717 aircraft. All 136 AirTran Airways jets will be fully outfitted with Gogo(R) Inflight Internet service by mid-summer.

“Installing Wi-Fi on every one of our aircraft is another great example of what sets AirTran Airways apart from our competitors,” said Bob Fornaro, chairman, president and CEO of AirTran Airways. “Giving business and leisure travelers a consistent, high-quality experience at a low price is a top priority. We feel that Wi-Fi on every flight gives us a distinct competitive advantage over other airlines. Our passengers will know with confidence that no matter which flight they are on, the airplane cabin will be their mobile office, social network, online mall or whatever they want it to be.”

AirTran Airways passengers will have full Internet access including: Web, e-mail, instant messaging and access to corporate e-mail and network systems (virtual private networks) — through their Wi-Fi enabled laptops, smartphones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Gogo Inflight Internet will be available for a small fee based on the length of the flight. “AirTran is known for catering to the needs of its passengers with style. Both its choice and rapid deployment of Gogo Inflight Internet service are testaments to AirTran’s long-standing commitment to offer the best inflight experience possible,” said Jack Blumenstein, president and CEO of Aircell. “Now that Gogo is here and available, passenger demand has taken off, exceeding even our own expectations. We look forward to enabling AirTran to provide the productivity, entertainment, information and social connectivity its passengers want.”

Installing Wi-Fi on every AirTran aircraft is the latest in a series of features the Company makes available to all passengers. Other features on every AirTran fight include: assigned seating, Business Class, XM Satellite Radio and more than 22 varieties of Coca-Cola products on North America’s newest all-Boeing fleet.

Over the past month, AirTran Airways teased the possibility of Wi-Fi being added to its list of amenities as part of the Company’s everyflight.com advertising campaign. During the campaign, AirTran received more than 30,000 suggestions from interested consumers.

AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI) and a Fortune 1000 company, has been ranked the number one low cost carrier in the Airline Quality Rating study for the past two years. The airline offers coast-to-coast flights on North America’s newest all-Boeing fleet with Business Class and complimentary XM Satellite Radio on every flight. To book a flight, visit http://www.airtran.com.

Aircell is the world’s leading provider of airborne communications. As winner of an exclusive FCC frequency license in 2006, Aircell has built a revolutionary mobile broadband network for commercial and business aviation. In 2008, the Aircell(R) Network and its inflight portal, Gogo(R), revolutionized the commercial airline passenger flight experience by delivering a robust Internet experience at 35,000 feet. In addition, the Aircell Network provides airlines with connectivity to operations and a path to enhanced cabin services such as video, audio, television and more. A similar feature set is available to Business aircraft operators. Aircell has facilities in Broomfield, Colorado, and Itasca, Illinois. Aircell’s vision is to give everyone the ability to stay in touch, in flight(R). For more information about Aircell, please visit http://www.aircell.com.

Gogo(R), powered by Aircell, turns a commercial airplane into a Wi-Fi hotspot with true inflight Internet access. Passengers with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs, can surf the Web, check e-mail, instant message, access a corporate VPN and more. For more information about Gogo, please visit http://www.gogoinflight.com/ or follow Gogo on Twitter: @gogoinflight.

We asked an IFExpress field reporter to check out the newly installed Row44 Broadband installation and performance on Alaska Airlines during a recent trip. He sent along this report:

“I boarded Alaska Flight 664 from SEA to DFW, a 3-3.5 hour flight. The tail number of our aircraft was #644. Let me also note that the flight outlasted my laptop battery and that there was no inseat power… a situation that may inhibit some users facing high price points. In my case, Alaska offered the service at a very respectable $5 (introductory fee) and this probably increased the passenger uptake.

1. The aircraft was equipped with 16 First Class seats and I observed 10 or so users during the flight in my service class. I would note that I became so wrapped up in work, sending and receiving emails, and web surfing that I completely forgot to check out the coach usage but I am sure it was at least as busy with Internet usage.

2. Once at cruise, logon was relatively easy. I should note that the service was branded as Alaska Airlines (not surprisingly) they took AMEX, MC, Visa via the onscreen prompts. Logon was straight forward after payment, however some users had issues selecting the aircraft LAN but that is relatively straightforward with Windows or Mac OS. I found the Wi-Fi signals to be strong and without speed variations. Really strong! I was getting a consistent 54Mbps during my battery’s life.

3. Passengers using the system all seemed to like and appreciate the availability of onboard Internet and many were watching video applications like YouTube. Many asked if other flights were so equipped and the crew noted the test status of the system. I am sure a good report was sent to headquarters because I talked to no dissatisfied users on my flight.

4. In talking with the crew, they estimated a 30% to 35% usage factor as a pretty good representation and this is very high! While slower connectivity systems are thrilled with 5%, the draw of the Internet is very powerful. If one considers Smartphone PED’s, the number could be very high, especially in coach where seat/lap space is at a premium.

5. I also took the onscreen survey which asked the obvious questions such as pricing recommendations, ease-of-access, ease-of-use, etc. My seat mate said he thought the price schedule should reflect the sector length and that he’d pay $10 for the 3-1/2 hour flight to DFW but a hop to SFO or OAK should be no more than $5. I wondered if Alaska’s SOC could link aircraft routing data to the system control unit to price the service by miles.

6. From my single flight experience I would say that laptop usage topped Smartphone and iPhone (Also a Smartphone but in a class by itself.) usage by a factor of 2X to 3X. As more of these devices enter the market, I would expect to see the numbers level out. However, the new Netbooks may offset the phone gains. Time will tell, but the issue here is the incredible onboard usage – do the math! This is going to be a moneymaker if the airlines get their rates to approximately $10 as they say they are heading.

Airline will begin outfitting its fleet with in-flight Wi-Fi from Row 44 later this year

FORNEBU, Norway, April 27 – Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, Europe’s fifth largest low-cost carrier, announced today that it is equipping its entire fleet with high-speed in-flight broadband. The airline will use a satellite-based broadband solution from Row 44.

Norwegian, winner of Air Transport World’s 2009 Market Leadership Award, will be the first European airline to equip its fleet with high-speed in-flight broadband. Norwegian will be able to offer passengers uninterrupted broadband services–Internet browsing, live international television, movies, music, mobile phones, texting, and e-commerce–to all of the airline’s 84 destinations across Europe. In addition to its current fleet, Norwegian has orders for nearly 50 new planes–all of which the airline will equip with Row 44′s broadband service.

“Norwegian has become one of the most successful carriers by relentlessly adding value to our passengers’ travel experience,” said Bjorn Kjos, CEO of Norwegian. Row 44′s system will help us add exciting new productivity and entertainment services to our flights–creating more satisfied and loyal passengers and crew, giving Norwegian a strong competitive advantage, and adding significantly to our bottom line.”

“Norwegian Air Shuttle is widely considered one of the most innovative, agile, and forward-thinking airlines in the world. They are an extremely strong organization led by disciplined, insightful professionals. Norwegian is known for creating and rapidly deploying new capabilities that delight their passengers,” said John Guidon, Row 44′s CEO. “Row 44 is honored that Norwegian has chosen our in-flight broadband to enhance their passenger and crew experience and create a powerful new profit center.”

Row 44 will begin installing its broadband system on Norwegian planes in the fourth quarter of 2009.

About Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA is a low-fare, point-to-point airline, registered on the Oslo Stock Exchange, employing approx. 1500 people. Norwegian operates a total of 175 routes to 83 destinations. In 2008 Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA transported 9.1 million passengers. The company’s headquarters are located at Fornebu, outside Oslo.

ARINC is making good progress with the development of its Onboard Internet ‘Oi’ following prove of concept trials. A year since the new service was first showcased in Europe to airline attendees at the Aircraft Interiors Show in Hamburg, the company is preparing to have its technology fitted to a commercial airliner by the fourth quarter of this year (November), closely followed by flight trials.

“Response from the world’s airlines has been extremely positive, even in these economic challenging times, when carriers are tightening their belts,” acknowledges Andy Hubbard, Director of Aviation Solutions for ARINC EMEA. ARINC, which is marking 80 years of providing diverse engineering and communications innovations in the industry is participating at this event, during March 31-April 2 at Hall 6, C10.

Oi internet technology for personal laptops is innovative in that it isn’t dependent on an air to ground connection – rather it is loaded aboard the aircraft prior to departure. The Service is designed to operate from Inmarsat’s new high bandwidth Swift Broadband satcom service – a standard two-channel installation that mimics the ADSL connections in common use today. Passengers will be able to enjoy a wide variety of live web content via their laptops – accessible from Mac and PC programmes. They can surf the internet or chat on social networking sites from the comfort of their seat with flexible payment options – by the hour, by day or per flight sector. Oi can facilitate real time news and sports flashes, listen to news and sport bulletins; and even watch and download the latest podcasts to their laptops.

Passengers simply switch on their PC and, using either a wireless or wired platform, are instantly connected to ARINC’s Laptop Intranet Portal. The Portal will be fully customised to each airline’s requirement – whether a carrier wants BBC or Sky News as standard, for example. It will support a combination of free view or paid for applications. Oi will feature a range of price points to suit most budgets and ARINC envisages webmail prices will be under US$10 a flight, with attachments beyond a certain size requiring an extra charge. A number of payment methods will be offered – including credit card payments or pre-paid cards that ask for special access codes. Passengers can also pay via their usual mobile on internet service provider accounts.

ARINC first demonstrated its Laptop Connectivity at the September 2007 World Airline Entertainment Association congress, receiving much acclaim for the product offering. As the solution is software-based it can be easily installed on most of the higher specification IFE servers already on many of the world’s leading airlines, several of whom are now talking with ARINC about Oi.

In February, Inmarsat achieved global coverage for the SwiftBroadband service, following the launch of the last of three satellites last August.

HAMBURG, Germany – March 27, 2009 – EMS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ELMG), today announced it will showcase the company’s connectivity strategy – “EMS Technologies: Where Communications & Entertainment Take Flight” – during the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) March 31 to April 2 in Hamburg, Germany. AIX is widely considered the launching pad for cabin programs, showcasing tomorrow’s designs, in-flight entertainment, connectivity and passenger services. EMS SATCOM, EMS Defense & Space and EMS Formation are co-exhibiting at stand #6D10.

“EMS is excited to have a venue as dynamic as AIX to highlight our aero-connectivity strategy since concluding several acquisitions,” says Perry Tanner, vice president of Marketing and Information Management at EMS. “The in-flight communications market is evolving very rapidly. The EMS of today can support the connectivity needs of our customers in the cockpit, the cabin or at the gate.”

EMS SATCOM eNfusion Broadband™ systems provide high-speed data connectivity and voice services up to hundreds of kilobits per second. EMS SATCOM’s eNfusion products are safety services-approved, which permits use of the best routes overseas, weather updates, route information and other EFB services that can result in fuel savings. Wireless connectivity, speed, security and flexibility are all attributes of the eNfusion line of Satcom products.

EMS Defense & Space (D&S) antenna systems enable broadband connectivity for voice, data and multimedia at speeds greater than a megabit per second. The division also is a leader in live television antenna systems, with its antenna systems flying on more than 300 aircraft. With solutions for every size of aircraft, EMS D&S Ku-band antenna systems enable enough bandwidth for hundreds of passengers and crew to simultaneously use high data-rate applications.

EMS Formation, which became part of EMS in January, manufactures avionics wireless access points to offer customers high-performance, secure, manageable and flexible wireless connectivity in the cabin. Ruggedized file servers enable data processing in avionics environments while video-on-demand servers provide audio and video on-demand for in-flight entertainment systems on wide-body aircraft.

In addition to Formation, EMS acquired Iridium-based solutions provider Sky Connect in July 2008, and last month finalized the purchase of Satamatics Global Ltd., a UK IsatM2M-based solutions provider.

Today, more than 36 airlines globally have announced or are in various stages of trials of in-flight connectivity, and virtually all IFC system providers rely on EMS connectivity solutions.

To celebrate the company’s 40th anniversary, EMS invites attendees and media to come by the EMS booth to enjoy a special anniversary cake on March 31 at 2:30 p.m. Hamburg time.

About EMS Technologies, Inc.

EMS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELMG) is a leading provider of wireless connectivity solutions over satellite and terrestrial networks. EMS keeps people and systems connected, wherever they are on land, at sea, in the air or in space. Serving the aeronautical, asset tracking, defense, and mobile computing industries, EMS products and services enable universal mobility, visibility and intelligence. Visit www.ems-t.com for more information.

ViaSat and Satcom Direct team-up to provide ViaSat YonderSM Mobile Broadband Service to business aviation customers, offering high-speed connectivity during flight

Carlsbad, CA – ViaSat Inc. has appointed Satcom Direct as a value-added reseller and customer support liaison for its new YonderSM Mobile Broadband Service, offering data and voice communication services for corporate, business, and military aircraft. Yonder Mobile Broadband Service offers passengers the ability to conduct normal business operations easily while in flight with office IP network applications and services, and also delivers entertainment options normally limited to home theater.

The ViaSat airborne broadband communication network enables a quality experience for aircraft passengers during flight, which will be enhanced when combined with high-end customer support provided by Satcom Direct.

“The user experience of a service such as Yonder is only as good as the quality of customer service that goes along with it,” said Don Buchman, ViaSat director of Mobile Broadband. “The reliability and extensive service experience that Satcom Direct can offer to Yonder customers adds a lot of value to our service.”

The Yonder Mobile Broadband Service uses patented ViaSat ArcLight® mobile satellite technology, which enables use of a 12-inch, lightweight antenna, offering aircraft data download speeds of up to 10 Mbps and uploads of up to 512 kbps. Passengers can send and receive broadband data, connect to a virtual private network, and access video programming using portable devices or onboard TVs.

“Satcom Direct is the industry leader in delivering unparalleled technology and customer support to the business and military aviation industries,” said James Jensen, CEO of Satcom Direct. “ViaSat Yonder service allows us to expand our satellite-based service offering to our customers with the integrity and recognition of the ViaSat name. Our focus at Satcom Direct of delivering quality, leading-edge products and services ensures our customers can rely on just one company for all of their aircraft flight deck and cabin communication services.”

ViaSat enables service over North America, the North Pacific, the Caribbean, the North Atlantic, Europe, and the Persian Gulf. The network is continuing to expand through the cooperation of ViaSat and maritime broadband service-provider KVH Industries, with the goal of providing worldwide coverage by early 2010.

About Satcom Direct
Founded in 1997, Satcom Direct is the leading innovator of satellite voice, fax, and broadband data service solutions for business and general aviation, military, government, emergency response, media, and other industries that demand reliable global communications. Its primary product, Global One Number®, is an advanced connection service for aeronautical, maritime, and land mobile applications that makes satellite communications as reliable and simple to use as ground-based telephones. For more information regarding Satcom Direct, visit www.satcomdirect.com , e-mail sales@satcomdirect.com, or call +1.321.777.3000.