CONNECTI V IT Y
Collins Aerospace
delivers LuxStream through its
KuSAT-2000 satellite terminal,
using Ku-band high-throughput
satellite (HTS) spot beams. The company
says an integrated HTS modem provides
minimum beam-to-beam switchover
latency, while the satellite tracking
design allows for continuous
motion in azimuth and -0° to
+90° motion in elevation
RIGHT: POWERED BY A
CONSTELLATION OF 66 CROSSLINKED
THE IRIDIUM NETWORK
PROVIDES VOICE AND DATA
CONNECTIONS OVER THE
PLANET’S ENTIRE SURFACE
businessjetinteriorsinternational.com
020 APRIL 2020
“While capacity is
important, it’s a small
portion of what we deliver”
experience – including the ability to
stream video – is dependent on many
factors, not only satellite capacity. “While
capacity is important, it’s a small portion
of what we deliver,” he says. “2Ku’s
performance is delivered through a
combination of satellite capacity, antenna
technology and server and modem
technology, among other things.”
Gogo 2Ku is available for VVIP Airbus
and Boeing types; Gogo offers other
solutions for smaller aircraft. 2Ku uses
two antennas, one to receive and one to
transmit. Both are installed on top of the
fuselage, covered by a single composite
radome. “The 2Ku antennas have twice the
MARKET SIZE
Valour Consultancy estimates there
are currently around 500 business
aircraft large enough to accommodate
fuselage-mount radomes, but notes
that other aircraft could provide more
business for connectivity suppliers.
“There are currently circa 6,500
large-cabin jets and these – plus an
extra 2,500 that are set to be added to
the fleet over the next 10 years – will
be the prime target given that most
can take a bullet-like tail radome but
are not yet fitted with high-bandwidth
Ku- or Ka-band connectivity,” says
Craig Foster. “Beyond this, most of
the remaining 16,000 super-midsize,
midsize, light and very light business
jets and a similar number of turboprops
are only really suited to much less
invasive ATG and L-band terminals.”
internet coverage –
which could also
include aircraft.
Market entrant
OneWeb also plans
to use LEO. Other
players include
Satcom Direct and
Intelsat with FlexExec, and SES and
Collins Aerospace with LuxStream, both
Ku-band services; SmartSky Networks
with an ATG network; and Global Eagle.
The choice is dizzying.
CAPACITY CHALLENGES
The biggest challenge is capacity, but
technology and competition are driving
the market towards higher-speed
solutions. “How people are consuming
data is the big challenge,” says James
Person, director of global business
development for business aviation/VIP
connectivity at Viasat. “With 16Mbps
coming into the cabin, passengers can
stream media, watch TV, do a
conference call and so on.”
Sean Cordone, Gogo’s vice president
of satellite communications, says a great
LEO SATELLITES,
Already established
in connectivity service
delivery – through
partnerships with Inmarsat,
Intelsat and Viasat– SD is
developing fuselage- and
dual-variant tail-mounted
antennas with QEST
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