Inmarsat is promising “unprecedented connectivity” for business jets via its EAN, European Aviation Network.
Inmarsat, working in league with Deutsche Telekom, aims to deliver the EAN solution will be available to the business aviation market by January 2019.
EAN’s integrated satellite and ground network is already operational for the commercial airline market, with launch customers already installing the service.
Inmarsat Aviation president Philip Balaam:
“EAN is a game-changer for the business aviation market, offering gold-standard inflight wifi to a broad spectrum of aircraft, from small turboprops to larger platforms such as the Citations, Learjets and Phenoms,” said Inmarsat Aviation president Philip Balaam. It is “ideal,” he said, “for any business jet whose mission keeps them predominantly in Europe.”
“Our projections show that the European business aviation fleet will grow beyond 5,000 aircraft in the coming years,” Balaam said. “We expect a strong uptake for EAN by offering a variety of data plans to meet every budget.
“Work has already commenced with a large business aviation launch customer for the service and planning for our first STC is underway.”
“The unique combination of a satellite and 4G LTE-based ground network offers lightning fast, low-latency performance over land and water,” Inmarsat says. “It can therefore meet highly demanding internet use, such as working with remote business desktops, streaming high-definition videos, enjoying online gaming and sharing images, with service levels that compare to mobile broadband on the ground.”
The company says it will be, “the world’s first inflight wifi solution that integrates connectivity from a satellite, operated by Inmarsat, and an LTE-based ground network, operated by Deutsche Telekom, covering all 28 member states of the European Union, as well as Switzerland and Norway.
Connections are effected using small, ultra-lightweight, low drag hardware that’s cost-effective to install and operate, “making EAN ideal for small to mid-sized business jets, in addition to larger sized jets.”