Story ID: 012AvionicsUpdateAINJan15EditedByAY_NM
Satcom Direct Router Supports Speedier Streaming
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: Passengers can make calls and send texts using their own smartphone numbers.
Word Count: 144
Satcom Direct has partnered with France’s Eclipse to allow the Satcom Direct Router (SDR) to bond and aggregate multiple Inmarsat SwiftBroadband channels to deliver streaming speeds of up to 1.6 Mbps. “With the new enhancements, higher data rate applications such as video conferences and streaming video are available globally for our customers using SwiftBroadband,” said Satcom Direct chief commercial officer Chris Moore. Satcom Direct also announced its GlobalVT (formerly AeroV+) service, which enables passengers to do voice and text messaging using their own smartphone numbers. GlobalVT is available worldwide and will be offered by monthly subscription. The SDR is also required for GlobalVT. “The in-flight messaging and calls are all managed through the GlobalVT mobile app,” said Satcom Direct founder and CEO Jim Jensen, “and recipients on the ground view incoming calls and texts as coming from the user’s personal number.”