“Within the general aviation sector, it’s fair to say that business aviation is rapidly driving the connectivity push and expanding it into areas thought of as purely ‘blue sky’ just five or six years ago.”
—NBAA Special Report on Aircraft Connectivity
From email to streaming video, today’s business jet travelers demand the same connectivity experience in the cabin as they enjoy in their offices. The only way to meet that expectation is to use a network with the peak output capacity required to avoid data slowdowns.
Once upon a time, the cabin of a company airplane was looked upon as a sanctuary from the constant pressures of business. A place to get away from it all, if only for a couple of hours.
Alas, not today. Now the “company plane” functions as another branch office, albeit one traveling at Mach .85. And that means high-speed broadband connectivity is a must, even on short flights and, increasingly, on a variety of cabin sizes.
“High-speed connectivity for business and personal travel is no longer the exclusive domain of large-cabin jets,” said James Person, Viasat’s Sr. Director, Global Business Development, Business, and VVIP Aviation. “Passengers on midsize and super-midsize jets want the same high-quality user experience as was historically found only on ‘big iron.’”
Today, Viasat’s connectivity solutions enable passengers to enjoy hassle-free in-flight applications like video conferencing, streaming video, corporate VPN access, and much more during all phases of flight, including ramp time.
Bringing Big Capacity to Every Size Cabin
While the ability to miniaturize the key components of their aircraft antennas and LRUs has been a primary enabler of delivering satellite connectivity to smaller cabin jets, Person said that the real differentiator is his company’s commitment to providing “unmatched” network capacity. That has made its service more attractive to operators of all sizes of jets.
Person explained that network capacity is one of the least understood, yet most important, concepts for consumers of any wireless data to understand. Air-to-ground or satellite, any network is only as good as its peak throughput capacity.
Why? Well, when the data traffic begins to reach the network’s capacity limit, everything slows down. You’re sharing your connection with untold numbers of other users. That’s why your cell provider slows its connectivity speeds during “peak operations.”
Viasat’s satellite network doesn’t need to slow things down to handle the load.
“With our unmatched capacity, we are able to focus our Ka-band satellite bandwidth in areas where fliers need it the most,” Person said. “For example, nearly 70 percent of the world’s business and private aviation traffic is over the U.S. We have four satellites dedicated to North America, and we are able to increase the network capacity in those areas of higher customer density.
“Typically, we start with increased capacity along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. in the morning—that’s where the majority of the business jet traffic is—and then move that capacity westward as demands in those areas grow throughout the day,” he continued. “It’s not just capacity; it’s highly flexible capacity. We can put the beams where customers need them the most.
“I don’t know of any other satellite provider that has the capability to do that,” Person added. “That’s why while others are slowing their networks down, Viasat is increasing both our typical and peak speeds to and from the aircraft throughout the day.”
There’s Fast, and Then There’s ViaSat-3 Fast
Let’s face it, when you start talking connectivity, it’s all about the network’s top speed—at least in the consumer’s mind. And while there’s no question that Viasat’s network is fast, customers always want to know just how fast.
“Today, with our Ka-band network, we routinely see over 100 Mbps to the cabin. And that’s on the current Viasat satellite network, which is fully mature and loaded,” Person said. “That’s plenty fast for every airplane and every user on our network at any given time to enjoy high-quality streaming video or whatever they want to do with no drop in performance.
“We’re continually increasing our network’s speed and capacity,” he added, “and by the time our new ViaSat-3 constellation is fully deployed, we’re anticipating another 50 percent increase in peak speeds to the cabin. And that’s to every aircraft in the beam at that time.
“The new ViaSat-3 constellation will have three state-of-the-art satellites, each with the capability to each deliver over a terabyte-per-second data connectivity,” Person continued. “We design and build all our equipment, from the satellites to the aircraft LRUs, so the components work together and deliver every byte of data quickly, completely, and securely to and from the aircraft.”
In addition to its unparalleled network speed and capacity, Person said, the new ViaSat-3 network will enable the company to provide connectivity over the entire globe.
“Our current network provides connectivity service for over 90 percent of business aviation routes,” he commented. “ViaSat-3 will be the solution that will increase that to total global coverage so our customers will stay connected wherever on or above the world they are.”
While operators are concentrating on meeting the needs of today’s passengers, Person said that when it comes time to select their satellite connectivity provider, aircraft operators need to choose a solution that not only meets their expectations today but is structured to grow as needs do.
“The good news is, all our current Ka-band hardware is forward compatible with our next-generation of ViaSat-3 services,” Pearson said. “A big part of delivering the best possible user experience today is ensuring the customer’s investment is protected into the future.”
The KISS Approach: Keep Internet Streaming Simple
While no one expects a high-end satellite connectivity solution to come at a Walmart price, Person said that Viasat is continually working with its customers to develop packages that align with the level of service that today’s users demand.
He added that for a long time, because of the high per-megabyte cost of satellite, owners would spend the money to install an air-to-ground system onboard for trips within the U.S. and a satellite system for international trips.
The task of selecting which system to use for each flight increased the crew’s workload. And billing was a nightmare.
“Viasat customers don’t have to bother with all that added effort and inconvenience any longer,” Person said. “We’ve simplified it by offering a variety of plans from 100 gigabytes per month up to unlimited connectivity, and they’re all priced at levels that make it affordable to use Viasat’s satellite network wherever you are.”
While 100 gigabytes a month may seem like overkill, Person confirmed that with the continually increasing consumption demands of video calls and in-cabin streaming, it’s the ideal fit for most operators.
“No one has ever told us they’re looking to use less data per month,” he said.
High-speed Connectivity: Here, There, and Everywhere
As mentioned earlier, thanks to the compact size of Viasat’s antenna and LRU, the Viasat Ka-band network is available for aircraft ranging from super-midsize models like the G280 and Embraer Praetor all the way up to large-cabin jets.
“If you’re taking delivery of a new jet built by Bombardier, Dassault Falcon, Embraer, or Gulfstream, our satellite equipment is available from those OEM partners,” Person said. “Also, should you be looking to upgrade your current aircraft’s connectivity package, Viasat is available on over 20 current aircraft models through one of several well-known MRO facilities.”
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