Airmont Solution Speeds Satcom Data Rates

French startup Airmont is making its EBACE debut with two new products, one that speeds up airborne connectivity for installed satcom systems and another that allows passengers to watch television while surfing the Internet. Airmont’s two products are designed primarily for Boeing and Airbus bizliners and large-cabin jets from Gulfstream, Bombardier Business Aircraft, and Dassault Falcon.

Airmont-KxL boosts the speed of Inmarsat SwiftBroadband and Ku-band satcoms and when it goes live later this year, satcoms that operate on Iridium’s new higher-speed Certus network. It works by “enabling broadband via the TV antenna,” according to Airmont.

“Instead of being limited to a few hundred kilobits per second in reception, our solution can achieve up to 3.8 Mbps for users," said Airmont executive chairman and founder Jean-François Gault. “[There is] no need to modify the fuselage or to immobilize the plane for a long time, the time and the cost of installation are minimal.”

The TV product requires connecting a set-top box to the installed television system via coaxial cable and to the installed Ethernet network via an existing router. This allows passengers to watch broadcast TV and access broadband Internet at the same time. The service is now available in Europe and the Middle East.