New Magnastar™ system will add data, Wi-Fi and global coverage to the Airfone® network’s industry-leading voice services

MELBOURNE, Fla., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ — LiveTV Airfone LLC, TrueNorth Avionics Inc. and Satcom Direct Inc. have announced plans to develop and market a next-generation Magnastar™ system that will be the first terrestrial network to encompass voice, data, Wi-Fi, smartphone support, e-mail, text messaging and multichannel VoIP for a complete business solution. Available in 2011, the new Magnastar™ system will be based on a hardware concept derived from TrueNorth’s open-architecture Simphone OpenCabin™ system, and will be available both for new customers and as an upgrade for existing Magnastar™ operators. Service will be managed by Satcom Direct and will include Airfone®’s current voice and data services while adding Iridium satellite communications when the aircraft is out of Airfone® range.

TrueNorth and LiveTV will co-develop the new system’s hardware by combining a new Magnastar™ radio with TrueNorth’s advanced Simphone OpenCabin airborne telecom solution. The new system will use LiveTV’s exclusive 1-Mhz air-to-ground frequency license, which provides a dedicated spectrum allocation for these capabilities. Among the features that won’t change are the superior voice quality and broad coverage of Airfone®’s continental US (CONUS)-wide network. “It’s a perfect match of network, hardware and value-added services,” said Mike Moeller, VP of Sales for LiveTV. “It’s also a great way for both new and current Magnastar™ customers to affordably get the communications they want.”

Satcom Direct will be the service provider for billing and customer support, and will also provide customers with access to its other popular airborne business services, such as Global One Number and Flight Deck Freedom. “We love the low cost, simplicity and global reach of this product,” commented Jim Jensen, President and CEO of Satcom Direct. “Many of our customers have been waiting for a direct replacement of the Magnastar™ system to become part of our Global One Number service, and the next-generation Magnastar™ system will give them the quality they have always enjoyed while adding a wealth of new capabilities.”