Story ID: 545Inmarsat
JetConnex Inflight Broadband Close to Service Entry
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: JetConnex is being offered specifically for business aviation users and is based on the new Inmarsat-5 satellite constellation.
Word Count: 327
The new Inmarsat-5 satellite constellation is set to deliver unprecedented in-flight connectivity rates of up to 50 Mbps when it enters service for the aviation market in the first quarter of 2016. The JetConnex service designated specifically for business aircraft users is being marketed by various service providers, including Satcom Direct, Gogo, Arinc Direct and Satcom 1.
  
“This will bring true broadband service to the sky,” said Inmarsat business aviation vice president Kurt Weidemeyer, explaining that the service will be offered in subscription-based packages priced by the individual providers. “As an end user you can decide what you want to use. You could sign up for a specific package that would provide 10 Mbps [connection speeds], just as you do on the ground.”
  
The various service providers are seeking to differentiate themselves with special offerings. “They bring a lot of added value,” Weidemeyer told AIN. “For instance, Satcom 1offers a solution for watching TV, Arinc Direct brings flight planning and weather data, while Satcom Direct has voice over IP that works very well with passengers’ own smartphones.”
  
JetConnex is being officially launched at NBAA 2015 this week. “We are the only provider guaranteeing this level of service,” claimed Weidemeyer. “Every month you will get the exact level of service you are paying for because this is our core business; we don’t provide service to support satellite TV.”
  
Also in development is the new European Aviation Network, for which Inmarsat (Booth C8016) is partnering with Deutsche Telekom to produce a combined network using both satellites and LTE ground stations as an alternate way to deliver high-speed broadband. Somewhat similar to the Gogo network in the U.S., it is intended as a lower-cost solution that will be better suited to smaller aircraft that cannot carry the larger antenna required for JetConnex. It is due to go operational in the third quarter of 2017 and eventually should provide connection rates for 70MB per second.