In-Flight Broadband Survey of Systems and Applications Bruce Elbert President 1
In-Flight Broadband Connectivity for passengers Wifi Ethernet Seatback screen Land-based towers or satellite links Speeds equivalent to a hotel or coffee shop hot spot Does not interfere with safe operation of aircraft instruments Pricing less that $20 per flight 2
North Atlantic Coverage AMC 4 Telstar 6 Intelsat 709 Eutelsat II F4 3
Connexion by Boeing Ku-band Phased Array Courtesy: Boeing 4
CBB Changed to MSA 5
Whither CBB Provided broadband Internet over Ethernet cable or WiFi Tested on Lufthansa in 2001, commercially available in 2004 Was available on Lufthansa, ANA, Japan Airlines, SAS, China Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, El-Al Israeli Airlines and Etihad Airlines Coverage to be extended to Pacific, but service shut down December 2006 6
2009 Study by WiFi Alliance & Wakefield Research 82% of business-class passengers believed WiFi access on the plane would help them stay on top of work while flying more than an administrative assistant 71% indicated they would prefer In-Flight WiFi over a meal service on a cross-country flight 76% indicated they would choose an airline based on the availability of in-flight WiFi 79% indicated they would rather have in-flight WiFi than free movies 7
North American and International Offerings 8
GoGo by AirCell 9
by Leading ground-based system; took over AirPhone bandwidth Became available on Virgin America in March 2009 Offered by Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, US Airways, AirTran, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta, United, US airways, Virgin America Provides broadband Internet over WiFi Uses AirCell Iridium Blade Antenna - Three small antennas installed on the outside of the aircraft (two ATG antennas under the aircraft and one GPS antenna on top of the aircraft. 10
SwiftBroadband By Inmarsat 11
SwiftBroadband By Inmarsat Launched in 2005 using Inmarsat satellites (L-band) Utilized by OnAir and AeroMobile Provides broadband Internet over WiFi or Ethernet An example of a SwiftBroadband antenna used to provide service in commercial applications (CMA-2102SB by Esterline CMC Electronics) 12
Founded in 2005 Owned by AirBus and SITA Passengers access broadband Internet through WiFi Provided on TAP Portugal, British Midland Airways, Shenzhen Airlines, Wataniya Airways, Air Blue, Kingfisher Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Jazeera Airways, Oman Air, TAM Airlines, British Airways (only from London City Airport to JFK), Air Asia, Qatar Airways 13
Founded 2005 Owned by ARINC (US) and Telenor (Norway) with HQ in London Available on Emirates Airline, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Malaysia Airlines (Lufthansa in the near future) Provides cell phone connectivity through a picocell 14
Row 44 15
Founded 2004; privately owned Service tested on Southwest; available 2013 Provides Internet over WiFi or Ethernet cable Leases capacity over HNS (Hughes) satellites using Ku Stream 1000 antenna from TECOM Industries. 16
exconnect by Panasonic Avionics 17
exconnect by Panasonic Avionics Formed by Panasonic Avionics in 2008 To be available on Lufthansa FlyNet (later this year), Cathay Pacific (2012) and 3 unannounced airlines Dual-panel tracking antennas are produced primarily (though not exclusively) by EMS Technologies Passengers access Internet broadband through WiFi, Ethernet cable or seat-back screens 18
Advertised Speed Comparisons GoGo ConneXion Swift Broadband Row 44 exconnect "speeds equivalent to the connection from a hotspot at a coffee shop" Downlink speeds of 20 Mbit/s and uplink speeds of 2 Mbit/s "The bandwidth depends on a number of factors such as the avionics installed on the aircraft and up to a maximum of 864 Kbps" Averaging 30 Mbps in the downlink and 620 Kbps maximum in the uplink 30-50 Mbit/s from the satellite, 1.5 Mbit/s in the opposite direction. 19
Advertised Price Comparison GoGo Connexion Swift Broadband Flights up to 1.5 hours $4.95, 1.5-3 hours $7.95-$9.95 (depending on device) over 3 hours $12.95, 24 hour pass $12.95, single 30 day pass on all GoGo equipped airlines $39.95, single 30 day pass on a single GoGo airline $29.95, Monthly Subscription (AirTran, American, Delta or Virgin) $34.95 Typically $9.95 for one hour of access, $14.95 for less than three hours of access, $19.95 for 3 to 6 hours of access, and $29.95 for unlimited access. In 2006, offered free when the service was discontinued. $500,00 per plane investment for the equipment. Price varies depending on airline. In the case of cell phone service, the price is set by the individual passenger s provider (roaming fees). Row 44 Cost is between $2 and $12 per flight depending on travel distance and the type of device passengers are connecting. ex Connect Passengers pay $21.95 for 24 hours of use of the Ku-band connectivity service or an hourly rate of $11.95 20
Conclusions In-flight Broadband (terrestrial or satellite) proven from a technical point of view GoGo achieving brand recognition and a degree of acceptance Satellite-based services face challenges and may become viable as businesses 21
Thank You!