Story ID: 498TrueNorthOptelityCare
Optelity Care Keeps IFE Fresh
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: TrueNorth Avionics aims to help keep in-flight entertainment equipment from becoming obsolete.
Word Count: 365
TrueNorth Avionics announced its new Optelity Care in-flight entertainment (IFE) support program at NBAA 2015. Optelity Care is designed to help operators keep airborne connectivity systems up-to-date as technology advances, specifically TrueNorth’s Optelity Pro Cabin Gateway wireless router and Iridium satcom. 
  
“Cabin and airborne connectivity [equipment] evolves rapidly,” said TrueNorth CEO Mark van Berkel. “One of the biggest shifts that we’re seeing is around the connected aircraft. That’s what TrueNorth has been about since day one. Connected aircraft are now taking off everywhere. [There is] even a demand for maintenance purposes. Technicians want to be able to connect tablets and download data and check maintenance status, and make electronic logbook entries without having to go back into the terminal.”
  
Optelity Care is a membership program, and TrueNorth is offering two years of membership for the price of one to Optelity Pro Cabin Gateway purchasers, for a limited time. Included in the membership is all future hardware and software upgrades, early notification of new features and upgrades, AOG services, “no-questions-asked advance exchanges for all TrueNorth equipment installed on the aircraft,” and “exclusive hotline, email service and support resources,” according to TrueNorth.
  
“What we have heard from our customers is that they are frustrated by how quickly their investment in cabin connectivity becomes obsolete by the rapidly changing landscape of mobile devices,” said van Berkel. “We listened, and the Optelity Care program provides a way for business jet operators to maintain that investment long into the future.”
  
The Optelity Cabin Gateway comes in four configurable packages, ranging from the Optelity Wi-Fi base model for $24,995 to the Optelity Pro, and features can be upgraded by simple software updates. The Cabin Gateway Pro is a 2MCU-size unit weighing about 7.3 pounds, offering 801.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and two Iridium voice channels plus an integrated PBX and IP-based router. It supports Voice over IP and is compatible with all types of mobile devices as well as TrueNorth’s Stylus, Wi-Fi, Corded Ethernet and Classic Ethernet headsets.
  
TrueNorth is holding a “TrueTini Liquid Lounge” customer-appreciation event today at its NBAA booth (C13639) from 3 to 6 p.m.