Las Vegas, NV | October 21, 2019–

OneWeb, a global communications company with a mission to connect everyone everywhere, will bring high speed, low latency, reliable in-flight connectivity to business aviation users – creating a “fit for business” cabin in the sky for the first time. With global services beginning in 2021, OneWeb’s inflight service will connect unconnected routes such as the Arctic from the outset, and business jet fliers will be able to access all applications from their office in the air.

Working with key industry partners, OneWeb pledges to deliver an affordable line-fit solution to the lightest of bizjets, through to large cabin VVIP airliners and new supersonic offerings. OneWeb’s service will transform flight connectivity at a time when cabin connectivity is ranked a top priority for commercial operators and private jet buyers.

The business aviation team, led by Dylan Browne, Head of OneWeb’s Business Aviation, Government and Maritime sectors, will be at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas, NV. (October 21-24) to explain the benefits of low latency, cloud-friendly services to OEMs and to prospective partners.

“Our vision for business aviation is fully customized, truly global, uninterrupted high-speed connectivity and we are building an eco-system for this sector,” said Dylan Browne.  “Business jet users want to make their time onboard count. They need to be able to access the same tools in the sky as on the ground. OneWeb will make it possible for all the software applications used in an office to be available in the sky. We are duly looking forward to our debut at the world’s biggest business aviation gathering, with a vast range of specialist companies represented under one roof, including resellers and antenna suppliers.”

When OneWeb goes live, passengers will be able to fully participate in necessary business operations such as multiple simultaneous uninterrupted live video conferences, access cloud solutions such as Office365, connect with Live TV, as well as content streaming Apps such as Netflix and Amazon Video, but also keep up to date with the family on FaceTime and WhatsApp.

Domination in LEO satellites

OneWeb’s solution comes from high performing, low latency, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites situated much closer to Earth – approximately 750 miles.

This means that business jet passengers connecting in-flight won’t have to compete for their coverage in the traditional, larger 35,000 ft GEO (Geostationary) space, where transmission regularly drops out. A typical GEO satellite signal round-trip of nearly 45,000 miles on average means a network time delay of two seconds. GEOs also cannot serve the polar regions, where OneWeb plans to offer polar track coverage from day one, which is good news for the business jet community, with aircraft flying longer and further than ever before.

OneWeb has been focused in the past months on growing its Business Aviation team and recently welcomed satellite mobility expert Carole Plessy, who brings 20 years of experience to OneWeb and previously headed product development at Inmarsat. Carol joins Ed Slater, who led airborne communication systems and planning for Air Force One during President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama’s terms, in the business aviation team.

OneWeb’s satellites are built in Florida by OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between OneWeb and Airbus. OneWeb will deploy more than 30 satellites on a monthly basis starting in December 2019, as it grows its constellation for full global coverage.

Orlando, USA | October 15, 2018–

SD Avionics, the hardware manufacturing division of Satcom Direct, has partnered with QEST Quantenelektronische Systeme GmbH, a worldwide market leader in innovative aeronautical antennas, to develop a new flat panel connectivity antenna for business and military aviation. The electronically steered phased-array antenna system aims to be the smallest and most efficient form factor, bringing high speed connectivity to a wider range of aircraft. SD will be the exclusive provider of this antenna to business aviation, military and government markets globally. Compatible satellite network constellations will be announced next year.

Purpose fit for small to mid-size jets, where a tail-mounted antenna solution is not an option, the lightweight, low-profile design will bring high-speed connectivity to a wide range of airframes. Scalable and modular, the flat panel system conforms to the size and shape requirements of an individual aircraft fuselage without bringing excessive weight or power requirements.

SD Avionics is working with aircraft OEMs on product specification and development, targeting product launch in late 2020. Once available, the antenna system will become part of SD Xperience, bringing future-proof technology compatible with LEO and GEO satellite networks operating in multiple frequency bands to the portfolio.

“We are committed to providing global connectivity solutions across the business aviation sector. The introduction of this flat panel antenna will enable an even greater selection of connectivity options for a wider range of platforms around the world. Our investment means more passengers, crew, and flight departments will access reliable, secure connectivity to support their day-to-day operations,” said Jim Jensen, Founder and CEO of SD.

“Partnering with SD has enabled a dynamic development approach combining technical ingenuity with years of business aviation experience to help formulate a product that we know the market will welcome. We wanted to create technology to substantially improve connectivity access within the General Aviation market place and working with Satcom Direct has enabled us to do this.  We know the segment will benefit as a result,” said Dr. Joerg Oppenlaender, Chief Technology Officer of QEST.

Orlando, USA | October 15, 2018– SD Avionics, the hardware manufacturing division of Satcom Direct, has partnered with QEST Quantenelektronische Systeme GmbH, a worldwide market leader in innovative aeronautical antennas, to develop a new flat panel connectivity antenna for business and military aviation. The electronically steered phased-array antenna system aims to be the smallest and most efficient form factor, bringing high speed connectivity to a wider range of aircraft. SD will be the exclusive provider of this antenna to business aviation, military and government markets globally. Compatible satellite network constellations will be announced next year.

Purpose fit for small to mid-size jets, where a tail-mounted antenna solution is not an option, the lightweight, low-profile design will bring high-speed connectivity to a wide range of airframes. Scalable and modular, the flat panel system conforms to the size and shape requirements of an individual aircraft fuselage without bringing excessive weight or power requirements.

SD Avionics is working with aircraft OEMs on product specification and development, targeting product launch in late 2020. Once available, the antenna system will become part of SD Xperience, bringing future-proof technology compatible with LEO and GEO satellite networks operating in multiple frequency bands to the portfolio. A conceptual light-jet prototype is available for viewing at SD’s NBAA, booth 250 and static display SD40.

“We are committed to providing global connectivity solutions across the business aviation sector. The introduction of this flat panel antenna will enable an even greater selection of connectivity options for a wider range of platforms around the world. Our investment means more passengers, crew, and flight departments will access reliable, secure connectivity to support their day-to-day operations,” said Jim Jensen, Founder and CEO of SD.

“Partnering with SD has enabled a dynamic development approach combining technical ingenuity with years of business aviation experience to help formulate a product that we know the market will welcome. We wanted to create technology to substantially improve connectivity access within the General Aviation market place and working with Satcom Direct has enabled us to do this.  We know the segment will benefit as a result,” said Dr. Joerg Oppenlaender, Chief Technology Officer of QEST.

• Intelsat and OneWeb partnership to result in the first and only fully global, pole-to-pole high throughput satellite broadband network
• Investment features a commercial alliance to exclusively distribute to certain vertical markets

Luxembourg and London, UK | June 25, 2015– Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), the world’s leading provider of satellite services, today announced that it has entered into a commercial agreement with OneWeb, the venture planning to build, deploy and operate a low earth orbit (“LEO”) Ku-band satellite constellation. Under the agreement, Intelsat will partner with OneWeb to use OneWeb’s LEO platform, once established, to complement Intelsat’s geostationary orbit (“GEO”) satellite services, resulting in the first and only fully global, pole-to-pole high throughput satellite system.

Complementing their commercial agreement, Intelsat announced that it will make a minority share investment of $25 million in OneWeb. The companies will also collaborate to develop hybrid LEO/GEO end-user access terminals, furthering Intelsat’s vision to lower the cost and accessibility of satellite-based broadband and unlock new markets for satellite broadband.

“As the world’s first and largest provider of commercial satellite services, Intelsat believes that the opportunity for space-based communications is at a new inflection point, especially as broadband connectivity has become an essential input to economic growth for individuals, businesses and communities,” said Intelsat CEO, Stephen Spengler. “In this context, we are accessing new technologies and leveraging sector innovations to the benefit of our customers and our network.

“Through this partnership with OneWeb, we will further differentiate our own GEO infrastructure, including our next generation Intelsat EpicNG® high performance satellites that will begin to launch in the first quarter of 2016,” Spengler continued. “By complementing our GEO services with LEO services, we will be able to provide connectivity over the Earth’s poles and in urban canyons, coverage that is important for certain mobility applications, including automotive services. In collaborating on Ku-band access hardware, we will develop technologies with additional scale that will simplify access, reduce costs and open new addressable markets.”

“Intelsat’s endorsement of our technology and solution is key to driving our venture to the next phase of development. Our mission is to enable affordable Internet access for everyone,” said Greg Wyler, CEO and Founder of OneWeb. “While the primary goal is to bridge the digital divide for rural areas, we recognize the potential for a seamless Ku-band infrastructure to support other applications as well. The OneWeb and Intelsat alliance allows each company to leverage the strength of the other. We believe that access to Intelsat’s global service and technology footprint, and collaboration on solutions which combine the benefits of LEO and GEO, will advance our mission.”

Pursuant to the commercial agreement with Intelsat, OneWeb will develop its platform to provide seamless network interoperability with Intelsat’s global EpicNG GEO infrastructure and service offerings. This will enable OneWeb to coordinate the provision of services over the equatorial regions, where GEO services have spectral priority, overcoming a major operational hurdle to LEO platforms.

The agreement will also include a firm service commitment from Intelsat for OneWeb services upon commencement of operations, which is currently estimated for 2019. Intelsat’s service commitment is in exchange for exclusivity granted to Intelsat for distributing OneWeb’s services within the aeronautical and maritime sector verticals, and for certain U.S. government and oil and gas customer applications. The agreement also includes granting to Intelsat certain exclusive distribution rights for connected car and rail customer applications.

Industry consultant NSR forecasts over $7 billion of incremental revenue industry-wide through 2024 from demand for satellite-based broadband connectivity services for aircraft, ships, connected devices, cars and remote villages. These applications are currently, or planned to be, served by Intelsat’s global fleet of approximately 50 C-band and Ku-band GEO satellites.

By combining GEO and LEO capabilities, Intelsat will be able to address specific requirements within the above applications. For example, the combination will allow Intelsat to extend its broadband mobility offerings to the polar cap regions, important to some aeronautical and maritime routes. In addition, Intelsat will be able to complement highly efficient GEO broadcast capabilities with the high elevation angle solutions of LEO services for situations where GEO signals might be blocked, such as in mobility applications in cityscapes. This would result in unmatched ubiquity for enabling software downloads to vehicles for the automotive industry. Development of mass market end-user hardware will further Intelsat’s strategy to deliver high performance, cost effective and simple access for customers, growing satellite’s share in the global telecommunications infrastructure.

When fully deployed, OneWeb’s initial constellation of more than 600 LEO satellites will be the largest satellite constellation in orbit, providing approximately 10 terabits per second of low-latency, high-speed broadband to consumers around the globe.