Abu Dhabi | October 2, 2014– Etihad Airways today reached a major milestone with the deployment of mobile and internet connectivity across its entire fleet of 24 Boeing 777 passenger aircraft, making it easier for guests to stay in touch with friends, family and work whilst in the air.

This milestone comes only months before the airline’s entire fleet of 89 passenger aircraft is connected, which will make Etihad Airways the first in the region and one of the few airlines in the world, to offer mobile and internet connectivity services on every aircraft. The passenger fleet includes 28 Airbus A320s, 26 A330s, 11 A340s and 24 Boeing 777 family aircraft.

The full suite of inflight connectivity services on the fleet includes Wi-Fi, mobile services and Live TV. The services combine the “Etihad Wi-Fly” solution, powered by the Panasonic Avionics Global Communications Suite, and OnAir’s inflight connectivity solution.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are a global market leader in terms of onboard connectivity solutions. We believe that onboard connectivity is an important competitive differentiator for our guests and are continuously introducing new communications technology to enhance their travel experience.

“The roll out of our state-of-the-art connectivity solution will give our modern connected guests a seamless, robust experience at 35,000 feet, similar to what they expect at home or work.”

Guests will be able to enjoy high-speed broadband services on Wi-Fi enabled devices including smartphones, tablets and laptops, allowing them to surf the internet, update social media, purchase gifts, upgrade seats, change travel plans and much more, all from the comfort of their seat.

The mobile connectivity service can be accessed by guests using their mobile phones and smartphones to make and receive phone-calls, send and receive text messages and emails, and use mobile data services.

The Live TV onboard service allows guests to watch live news and major sporting events on seven popular television channels including BBC World News, CNBC, CNN, euronews, Japan’s NHK World Premium, Sky News Arabia, and Sport 24.

Cabin crew and flight deck operations can also utilise Wi-Fi connections to handle medical emergencies. The crew is empowered to manage inflight guest issues by phone or email in real-time with the airline’s ground teams based in Abu Dhabi. Connectivity is also paving the way for the airline to enhance the guest experience through increased onboard retail opportunities, with the added benefit of real-time credit card transactions.

Packages to access the internet start at US$5 and can be purchased using credit cards, PayPal and a range of other convenient payment methods. Mobile telephone usage will be billed by the guest’s mobile service providers based on the international roaming rates levied by the service providers.

Etihad Airways’ Boeing 777 aircraft are used for long-haul destinations across the airline’s network, such as Los Angeles, Washington DC, London, Manchester, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, São Paulo, Bangkok and Jakarta.

Every once in a while we all go to a meeting, see a presentation, or visit an industry show that is a significant event in our industry’s persona… this year it has to be Aircraft Interiors in Hamburg, Germany. Obviously a lot of our readers could not attend and we are aware of that fact. We planned to talk to as many folks as we could to provide some of the experience but the job is becoming so bigger than the IFExpress team… much bigger. From a numbers perspective, there were over 135 vendors (out of 500+) who featured inflight entertainment and/or connectivity. With the cabin interiors market growing at almost 9% per year, it’s no wonder that the IFEC portion of the show saw some 13% increase in space. We fully expect the final total number of show visitors to reach 10,000+ this year as a new best.

One of the first things that struck us was the preponderance of iPads. They were in the products, they were in the hands of the product demonstrators, and they were in the hands of visitors. They were everywhere. Yes, there were tablets too, and phones… but the world of mobile connectivity is here, but of course, you knew that. But it was obvious this year that the vendors and the airlines now know it as well. About the only thing we did not see with an iPad was a mechanical drop down frame for an iPad retractable IFE system. Wait till next year!

And speaking of trends, wireless connectivity is what the inside of the cabin is all about. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, data communication and cell frequencies will flood the cabin with information in forthcoming cabin solutions. This means that there is a huge amount of data about you and your preferences flying in every direction in the plane. We are quite interested in who owns that data, and believe us, everyone has a different answer about who does. We asked there and we will keep this question alive in future issues.

The first day of AIX (before the booth opening on day 2) holds a very interesting Passenger Experience Mini Conference. This meeting consists of a morning general session and splits into 4 afternoon plenary sessions.

Of particular interest in the morning session was Teague’s (Devin Liddell) presentation on “Co-Making”…the process of a brand (an airline in our case) collaborating with a like-minded brand in a different industry. What makes this interesting is the fact that they are not about traditional co-branding and more about breakthrough innovations. Here are some quotes that we found interesting:

• “Partnerships are our most powerful currency.”

• “The capacity to partner has a big impact on influencing the passenger.”

• “We need to go beyond – we must make things together.”

• “The old philosophy was co-branding = co-marketing. The new philosophy is co-branding = co-making. The concept is more about innovation together.”

• “An example of a co-making scenario that exists today is JW Marriott and TSA.”

Editor’s Note: The above example places TSA approved and checked luggage in a secure storage at Marriott, thus providing more for Marriott customers.

If you made it to the Break Out Sessions the first day of PAXEX, you got a valuable inside to the connected passenger and the coming PED environment as well. In fact there is good and bad in the approach! First the good: The four Breakout Sessions were one of the best things at AIX and were titled: 1. Inflight Entertainment and Connectivity: A Voyage of Discovery and Opportunity, 2. Hospitality and Service – Making the Onboard Experience Memorable, 3. The Cabin: Getting Smarter about Space and Comfort, 4. Protecting the Brand: Cabin Maintenance. Which one would you go to? And that’s the Bad… one can’t go to them all, but there is an answer. The presentations are available here (they will cost you 50 Euros) and you can find them here: http://www.pexconference.com/Presentations/

And yes, we do have one story about the sessions. In Breakout Session 1, Angela Vargo of Southwest Airlines spoke about their use and focus on the value of gate-to-gate connectivity. After her presentation IFExpress asked if Southwest realized that with satellite connectivity, there was no antenna “shading” by buildings that ground-based connectivity towers face, a fact that was not mentioned in the presentation. “Boy do we,” she said emphatically! We guessed that was a marketing yes!

Next week we will start the booth coverage in detail and by then we hope to have Flicker images online (Just click on the Flicker image at the top right of IFExpress)… that is, if our bag arrives!

SEATTLE, WA. | August 1, 2011 — Alaska Airlines announced today that it will offer complimentary Gogo® Wi-Fiservice for passengers with Web-enabled smartphones or iPod Touches throughout the months of August and September 2011. The offer, compliments of the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature ® Card, is also available to customers who use a digEplayer, Alaska’s portable inflight entertainment system.

“Alaska Airlines’ Inflight Wi-Fi has been a hit with our customers and we’re excited to offer it free to those with smartphones throughout the next two months,” said Joe Sprague, the airline’s vice president of marketing. “Whether you’re a business traveler needing access to e-mail or just can’t wait to check your Facebook, free access to the Internet is a huge benefit.”

Gogo is now available on nearly all aircraft in Alaska Airlines fleet operating within the Lower 48 United States and specific areas in Alaska. Using Gogo, Alaska Airlines passengers with Wi-Fi-enabled devices can browse the Web; access online music, games, podcasts and webcasts; send and receive e-mail; and connect to virtual private networks while flying. The easy-to-use service provides passengers with full Internet access on any Wi-Fi-equipped laptop or personal electronic device at speeds similar to wireless mobile broadband services on the ground.

“We are extremely excited for this sponsorship since it’s the first free mobile offering on Gogo,” said Ash ElDifrawi, Gogo’s chief marketing officer. “Many smartphone users simply aren’t aware that you can turn your cellular phone service off on a Gogo equipped plane, yet still access the Internet through a Wi-Fi enabled mobile device and surf the Web, send email and access most of the features on your mobile device.”

Prices for Gogo on other devices such as laptops, iPads, netbooks or tablets start at $4.95 and are based on length of flight and device used. Gogo also offers 24-hour inflight Wi-Fi passes and monthly subscriptions. Customers can visit www.alaskaair.com/wifi for more information about Alaska Airlines’ inflight Wi-Fi.

Alaska Airlines’ digEplayers are available on flights longer than three hours. The price is $14 on flights longer than 4.5 hours and $8 on flights less than 4.5 hours and includes Gogo Wi-Fi access. Customers receive a $2 discount when they reserve a digEplayer in advance via the airline’s alaskaair.com website.

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together serve more than 90 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers” in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008, 2009 and 2010 North America Airline Satisfaction StudiesSM. For reservations, visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at alaskaair.com/newsroom.

New Platform To Offer Engaging Flight, Destination, E-Commerce, Video, Gaming And News Experience For Travelers In-Air, Online

ITASCA, Ill., July 15, 2011 – Gogo today announced plans to launch a new, in-air multimedia platform that will extend the company beyond Internet connectivity to offer passengers exclusive access to online services that include real-time travel information, destination content, news and information, exclusive shopping deals and social network integration. The platform will also give airlines the opportunity to offer passengers access to the latest movies and TV shows through Gogo’s new streaming video product.

The new platform will be a unique in-air experience that passengers access via their own Web enabled device on any aircraft equipped with Gogo Wi-Fi internet service. The new site will also be customizable to allow better branding opportunities for Gogo’s airline partners. The new platform will be available beginning in the third quarter of this year.

“This is the convergence of in-flight connectivity and entertainment. When we first started offering Wi-Fi connectivity, it became clear to us that we could offer travelers so much more to enhance their travel experience,” said Ash ElDifrawi, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Gogo. “Today, travelers depend on Gogo to keep them connected in air and, while connectivity remains at the heart of our business, we are thrilled to offer travelers this new form of entertainment at 30,000 ft.”

Over the last several months, Gogo has worked with design and innovation firm IDEO to define and build the new platform. Gogo engaged with IDEO to better understand the needs of travelers and the airlines. The next step was to determine how to best leverage its in-flight connectivity to address those needs.

Gogo has begun rolling out some of these new features including a new partnership with Gilt Groupe. Gogo’s video service will also allow travelers to rent movies and TV shows for viewing in air. Gogo currently has an agreement with major Hollywood studios and will feature recently released movies and hit TV shows. .

“The introduction of this new platform will enable our airline partners to customize in air, online experiences to reflect their brand; it will offer passengers an engaging travel experience; and it will give advertisers access to a very unique audience” said ElDifrawi. “It offers the flexibility to provide a robust set of experiences – such as travel information, movies, shopping and social networking – that’s relevant to each individual airline or specific journey. It also sends us farther down the path to making Gogo everyone’s favorite part of flying.”

IFEXPRESS EXCLUSIVE

First a couple of introductory notes. ONE – Approximately 7 years ago, we did a Hot Topic on an Intel test of their Bluetooth chip implementation with respect to interference levels of commonly used aviation frequencies. Bluetooth looked very promising. TWO: Approximately once each year, ASIQ’s Ron Chapman (Founder & CEO) sends us information on a new product from his down-under team in Melbourne, Australia. As of late, they have centered on in-cabin connectivity and featured Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (i.e, SafeCell). THREE: For those of you that need to refresh your knowledge of the difference between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, this link might be helpful. Suffice it to say, there is quite a power level difference in the normal usage of the relative signals… even though they are in the same ISM frequency band. Power is the key here!

Our story begins with a note from Ron:

“Hi Terry and Trish, my latest announcement attached. We are nearly at the end of a very long road, Apple being our final obstacle for aircraft usage and if you like this one (IPad), wait until you see our new iPhone version.” We haven’t stated the problem yet but, hang on readers. Ron advised that, when you install ASiQ’s iPhone Bluetooth corporate jet connectivity solution which provides Voice, SMS, MMS and Data, you will no longer need a CTU, wired handsets or Ethernet in the cabin. You can handle it all via Bluetooth with your iPhone (or iPad). This is because the ASiQ Apple Bluetooth access point links directly to the SATCOM. “The only limitation is the speed of the SATCOM,” Ron noted. “From our testing we know we can accommodate 3 simultaneous Apple devices per access point. For 6 devices we just add in another access point. First Apple aircraft installation is due in 2 weeks.”  

So what does this have to do with the airline world you might ask? Ron hints to IFExpress, “Now that we have every mobile phone platform covered with a Bluetooth App, it clears the path for our airline passenger solution. The major difference with our airline approach is that it will be SMS/Email/Texting only. This is what we believe is the ideal solution for domestic/regional airlines who want an inexpensive mobile phone solution and have no interest in providing voice. As the transmission time is milliseconds and we will not have to deal with the bandwidth required for voice or Internet, each access point will accommodate a lot more mobiles. The corporate jet system is the perfect demo platform for airlines,” he quipped, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where this is going…

For More Information, contact Ron

American to Enhance Customer Connectivity with Inflight Streaming Video and Expansion of Wi-Fi to Virtually Entire Domestic Fleet

FORT WORTH, Texas – May 2011 -– American Airlines, a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, today secures another industry first. American is the first North American airline to begin testing the new inflight streaming video product from Aircell which will offer the airline’s customers a brand-new, innovative inflight entertainment option. The new product will allow customers to wirelessly stream content such as movies and TV shows from an inflight library to their personal Wi-Fi-enabled devices during flight.

American, partnering with Aircell, is currently testing the new inflght video system on two Boeing 767-200 aircraft in transcontinental service, and plans to begin customer testing early this summer. The airline’s goal is to roll out this product on Wi-Fi-enabled aircraft starting this fall pending FAA certifications.

“Once again, American leads the industry in providing innovative options to keep customers connected, productive and entertained. American was the first North American airline to launch inflight Wi-Fi, and today we again set a new industry standard as the first domestic airline to test inflight streaming video content,” said Rob Friedman, American’s Vice President – Marketing. “We know our customers want to be connected on the ground and in the sky, so we are working hard to stay on the leading edge of connectivity through technology enhancements like this.”

In addition, American will work with Aircell to further enhance onboard connectivity by expanding inflight Wi-Fi to its narrow body fleet, including additional MD80 and domestic Boeing 757-200 aircraft – successfully completing its Wi-Fi offering on all of its domestic aircraft dedicated to flying within the continental United States.

The Wi-Fi expansion will include 93 of American’s domestic 757s used for routes within the continental United States, and up to 50 additional MD80 aircraft. Installation will begin this summer and continue through 2012. In addition, American continues to install Wi-Fi service on its entire fleet of 737-800 aircraft.

“By expanding Wi-Fi to the remainder of American’s domestic fleet and adding movies and TV to the already powerful Internet, American and Aircell continue to transform the inflight experience,” said Ash ElDifrawi, Executive Vice President and CMO of Aircell. “In this new era of inflight entertainment and inflight connectivity convergence, we are proud to be American’s partner in innovation and applaud their leadership.”

American’s inflight Wi-Fi and the new streaming video product are powered by the Aircell air-to-ground system, which uses three small antennas installed outside the aircraft and connects to Aircell’s exclusive nationwide mobile broadband network. Pricing for the new streaming video offering will be determined closer to launch and at the completion of customer testing.

The streaming video offering is American’s latest enhancement in a series of investments in mobile technology. Leading the industry with the development of mobile applications for iPhone, iPad, Android, NOOK and Blackberry (currently beginning Beta testing), as well as creating new mobile technologies for its operations, American understands the importance of connectivity and is strategically setting aside funding for enhancements with the goal of keeping customers connected.

“Mobility is where we are all headed and our focus on new technologies in this space is unmatched by our competitors,” added Friedman.

For more information check out http://bit.ly/AAISV.

BROOMFIELD, CO – April 21, 2011 -– Aircell, the world’s leading provider of inflight connectivity, has been selected as the 2011 winner of the Communication Technology Professionals’ (CTP) annual Ascent Award. Recognizing Aircell’s work with its Gogo® and Gogo Biz™ inflight Internet services, the award is based on innovation, growth and the impact being made in the telecommunications sector.

“Being chosen as winner of the Ascent Award is a great honor for Aircell and we’re very grateful to CTP and all involved,” said John Wade, Aircell’s Executive Vice President & General Manager, Business Aviation Services. “Aircell’s inflight Internet services have literally transformed the travel experience for millions of passengers in the business aviation and airline markets. We’re proud to be making such a positive impact in Colorado and all over the world,” he concluded.

Joshua Holmberg, President of CTP, said, “Aircell was chosen by CTP for several reasons, but in a nutshell, they embodied the spirit of what we want this award to be about. Their core business model is based on embracing new technologies and making them accessible via a very unique channel. Since CTP represents thousands of communications professionals in Colorado, I am particularly grateful for the impact Aircell will continue to have on our local industry. This is a well-deserved award for Aircell.”

CTP’s Ascent Award is bestowed annually on the firm that best represents the Colorado spirit of innovation, growth and drive in telecommunications and is poised to make a near-term impact on the industry. Ascent nominees were selected based on assorted criteria and offered for voting from CTP associates. The company must have exhibited exceptional inspiration or insight in at least two of these areas: (a) new technology, (b) changing business models, (c) new products and/or (d) new customers or marketplace; The company must have made or will in the immediate future make a meaningful impact on the communications industry; The company must have a significant presence in Colorado; The company should embody the spirit of the Ascent Award showing energy, focus, growth, drive and innovation furthering communications technology.

Aircraft Interiors, Hamburg, April 5, 2011 — TriaGnoSys has today announced that it has been selected to supply applications for Thales’ TopConnect solution. TopConnect is a comprehensive communications suite that provides passenger and crew applications with access to the cloud. Access is provided through mobile devices, including tablets and laptops, as well as through the IFE system. The onboard network equally supports voice, SMS and GPRS services for GSM smartphones and mobile devices.

Within the Thales platform the TriaGnoSys’ software enables a complete IFEC solution for cabin and passenger connectivity, and connected IFE applications. It includes GSMConneX, TriaGnoSys’ recently-launched GSM solution and makes the most efficient use of the available bandwidth through advanced compression and optimisation technology.

Jeff Sare, Vice President Commercial at Thales, said, “TriaGnoSys provides Thales with the best available connectivity solution based on market demand. It is both reliable and efficient. The TriaGnoSys team is also very easy to work with, consistently delivering on time and on budget.”

In the current configuration, TriaGnoSys’ software routes the GSM and inflight WiFi traffic from the aircraft to the Inmarsat SwiftBroadband satellite system, and then to the ground network. In the near future, the software can also be used for other radio links, in particular Ka but also other K based and air-to-ground links.

Axel Jahn, Managing Director of TriaGnoSys, said, “It is very clear that inflight connectivity is now mainstream and we are very pleased that TriaGnoSys remains at the centre of the sector. We have a long-standing relationship with Thales and this deal strengthens that relationship.”

The current system is installed as a standalone solution or as an integral part of the Thales IFE system and it can support multiple SwiftBroadband channels today. Thales and TriaGnoSys are also actively working on Ka based solutions as an addition to the TopConnect communications suite in the short to mid term technology cycle.

Aircraft Interiors Expo, Hamburg, April 6, 2011 — Thales, a leader in In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity systems, announced that they are working closely with Airbus A350 program team to get their TopConnect Ka-Band solution offerable on the A350 XWB aircraft. The Thales Ka-Band solution builds on the Thales commitment to global and commercially viable aircraft communications. Ka-Band communications will enable worldwide broadband connectivity at an affordable and consistent price point including the potential for IP based media broadcast.

As part of Thales TopConnect suite of connectivity solutions, this Ka-Band initiative is a priority with high demand expectations from 2014 and beyond. Thales will be listed in the Airbus A350 catalogue for Ka-Band connectivity.

“Building on Thales’s long successful history with satellite communications in other markets, we see our ability to make inroads with Ka-Band equally as strong. Based on the commitments from the satellite operators and our service partners, we know that Ka-Band offers the airline community answers to the fundamental challenges of coverage, bandwidth and cost that have long prevented the deployment of successful and sustainable in-flight connectivity services. Ka-Band will be a game-changer and is part of the Thales growth strategy in cloud based applications and technology development,” said Alan Pellegrini, Managing Director for Thales In-flight Entertainment activities.

The Airline Passenger Experience Association hosts Technology Committee (TC) meeting in Los Angeles, California, USA on 2-3 November 2010

(New York, NY) – Experts in inflight entertainment technologies will explore how content and hardware affects the passenger experience at the APEX Technology Committee Meeting on 2-3 November 2010. The meeting is being held at the Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel in Los Angeles, California, USA.

The Technology Committee (TC) will explore digital content issues on Day 1, including MPEG 4 Part 10, high definition (HD) inflight entertainment technology, digital advertising standards and watermarking standardization efforts.

Day 2 will focus on hardware, including seats and IFE, display technologies, iPads and streaming to PEDs.

“Our Technology Committee has once again put together a meeting that addresses new technologies and introduces the most up-to-date content for the airline industry,” said Patrick Brannelly, APEX president. “The future of inflight entertainment looks bright.”

As of 11 October, speakers from the following companies are confirmed: Airborne Interactive, Airbus, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Crest Digital, Imagik International Corporation, Inmarsat Ltd., Inflight Productions, Ltd, UK, Lightstream Communications, Lumexis, Microsoft, Smartjog, Tannis Electronics and SID, THX and Virgin America.

The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) is a non-profit association representing the world’s leading airlines and vendors in this field. APEX sponsors a number of these free to attend Technology meetings each year to evaluate new technologies and create industry-wide quality and compatibility standards. Technical aspects of onboard equipment systems, connectivity and other industry developments are also explored.

The TC meeting is being sponsored by Airbus, Lumexis Corporation and Crest Digital, and is open to members and invited non-member guests free of charge. Registration is required.

Earlier this year, APEX launched the Passenger Choice Awards™, a newly created program voted on by the traveling public, and designed to recognize the airlines for their service, products and innovations. In addition, APEX also hands out the Avion Awards for Best Single Achievement in IFE and Best Achievement in Technology. For a list of the 2010 winners, please visit the APEX website.

WHAT: APEX Technology Committee Meeting

WHEN: Tuesday-Wednesday, 2-3 November 2010

WHERE: Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel
Los Angeles, California, USA

HOW: Register by October 27, 2010

Singapore’s national carrier will be the first Asian based airline to offer their passengers the complete range of inflight connectivity solutions

Geneva, Switzerland, 5 October 2010 – Customers travelling on Singapore Airlines flights will soon be able to stay connected at all times, even at 35,000 feet with OnAir’s inflight connectivity services based on Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband.

The multi-million-dollar collaboration with OnAir includes a full suite of onboard communication offerings, providing the Airline’s customers with access to Wi-Fi Internet and mobile telephony services. The mobile telephony services will enable customers to send and receive SMS text messages with their GSM-compatible mobile phones, send and receive email messages easily on Smartphones and Blackberry devices, and make and receive voice calls[1].

With plans to roll out the services from as early as the first half of 2011, Singapore Airlines will be the first major airline in Asia to launch a full suite of inflight connectivity services, following their tradition as leader in innovative passengers’ services. These will be introduced progressively on flights operated by the Airline’s Airbus A380, Airbus A340-500 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

“Singapore Airlines was in fact one of the pioneers to introduce Internet connectivity on board its Boeing 747-400 aircraft in 2005. Today, with the increasing importance of staying connected, and the more affordable charges made possible by the higher usage and more advanced technology, we are now fitting all our long-range aircraft with the full suite of telephony and Internet features so that our customers can stay connected. Unlike the earlier trial introduction of an Internet service, this suite of features is for full implementation and we are pleased to offer this as an added choice to our inflight programme,” said Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice President Product & Services, Mr Yap Kim Wah.

“The environment that our customers have gotten used to on the ground can soon be replicated in the air, when they fly with Singapore Airlines on aircraft fitted with this new connectivity platform. Travelling on business or pleasure, they are just a click or an SMS away, with access to live information, social networking and news updates, as well as inflight shopping.”

“We are absolutely delighted to have come to an agreement today with an airline of the stature and reputation of Singapore Airlines. The agreement is extremely significant. It sends a strong signal to the industry that inflight passenger communications has come of age – and is a must-have for airlines looking to remain competitive in the future,” said Ian Dawkins, CEO of OnAir.

Singapore Airlines’ connectivity partner OnAir has roaming agreements with about 200 mobile network operators globally, including the three main operators in Singapore.

Customers who use the mobile telephony services will see their usage reflected in the monthly bills from their home mobile phone operator where international GSM roaming rates apply. For Internet access, customers can sign up for an access package upon logging in to the system. Details of the charges will be announced closer to the launch.