Special Report Satcom Shakeout Three mainstream technologies are emerging, each with its own advantages and shortcomings.

By Fred George thereby enabling avionics manufacturers to develop smaller, lighter and less expensive satcom systems. Online charges for emember all that hype about these other services also were re- the “Office in the Sky” duced, but their coverage areas Rconcept over the last two were considerably smaller. decades? It’s been waiting for Such evolutionary changes cost-effective voice and continued until about four broadband connections be- years ago. Then alternative tween airplanes and the satcom systems started to ground. Now, it’s finally provide fierce competition becoming a reality be- for , igniting a cause of a revolution in revolution in satcom serv- three satcom technolo- ices for business aircraft gies. These three tech- operators. Since 2000, for nologies, supplemented example, Iridium has pro- by a couple of others, are vided cost-effective basic quickly making most con- satcom telephone service, ventional air-to-ground putting a large dent in telecommunications links Inmarsat’s aeronautical sat- as obsolete in the cabin as com phone business used by LORAN and VLF/Omega passengers. receivers are in the cockpit. In 2002, broadband commu- Some business aircraft makers, as nications began to pro- a result, are on the verge of drop- vide satcom data link services that ping conventional air-to-ground ra- offer as big a data transfer pipe as any diotelephones from their options landline in your office on the ground. In catalogs. the next several months, these systems will Need to call a client while en route? Basic start to appear on business aircraft. This, satcom telephone service now is available too, is putting pressure on Inmarsat to of- all the time, anywhere on the planet for as port safety and administrative communica- fer higher value services and more compet- little as $1 or $1.25 per minute depending tions between ships at sea and their home itive prices. upon service plan, inclusive of long-distance bases. A decade later, avionics were devel- This three-way competition is heating charges. Shop carefully and you’ll get those oped for airliners that provided voice and up, and business aircraft operators are the rates when calling from overhead Paris, low-rate data link communications for beneficiaries. Here are the details of what Texas, to Paris, France; above Cape Horn transoceanic missions. Early satcom avion- these three satcom technologies can offer to Cape Town; or while en route from ics cost $500,000 or more and weighed 250 you today and in the near future. Abidjan to Auckland. to 300 pounds, and all the boxes couldn’t fit Contrast that coverage area and those rates into a outsized steamer trunk. So, only a se- Iridium: The Platinum to conventional air-to-ground, inflight radio- lect few large-cabin, long-range business Standard in LEO telephone service. It’s no contest. Satcom aircraft operators could stomach their price, Back before the proliferation of cell phones wins hands down. In the next decade, satcom weight and size. around the world, a consortium led by voice and data services will make air-to- Inmarsat online charges still run $8 to $10 Motorola launched a bold plan to develop ground radiotelephones and data links all but per minute for its best quality services, plac- the ultimate satcom phone service. The vanish from business aircraft. ing the satcom off-limits to all but the top plan called for launching 77 low Earth orbit Much has changed since 15 years ago, brass aboard the aircraft. No wonder the (LEO) satellites, hence the name Iridium, when the International Maritime service never caught on with business air- reflecting the atomic number of that ele- (Inmarsat) consortium had a monopoly on craft travelers, let alone mainstream airliner ment. The satellites were positioned in six satcom services. Inmarsat launched its first passengers. polar orbits at an altitude of about 420 nm. generation of four geostationary communi- Eventually, Inmarsat broadened the range The constellation was later reduced to 66 cations satellites in the early 1980s to sup- of its aeronautical communication services, LEO space vehicles, plus in-orbit spares, to

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save cost, but that still was plenty sufficient to relay the signal. As a result, is tomers each month. to provide continuous, worldwide satcom limited in coverage area because each of the By then, Iridium had spent about $5 bil- phone service. This would provide telecom- ground stations is located on land. In addi- lion on nonrecurring expenses and was in- munications to millions of folks without ac- tion, bent pipe system satcom providers typ- curring well over $40 million per month in cess to landline phones. ically add roaming charges for long distance operating expenses. With a trickle of rev- LEO satcom phones must continuously because it must be provided by landline tele- enue and a flood of debt, Iridium LLC de- scan for other satellites because of the rela- phone service providers. clared bankruptcy in 1999. GlobalStar sank tively rapid movement of each satellite. Iridium, in theory, needs only one ground into Chapter 11 bankruptcy a year later. Before the satellite being used travels out of station to handle the signals relayed from Daniel A. Colussy, former operations di- signal coverage, the satcom phone must “internetworked” satellites from end users, rector for Iridium, organized a group of in- complete a handoff to the next most suit- anywhere in the world. Based solely upon vestors known as Iridium Satellite LLC and able satellite. These phones automatically call handling capacity, offered five cents on the dollar for the sys- compile a list of the satellites with the though, Iridium’s original business model tem. Motorola balked at the $25 million bid, strongest available signals so that the hand- planned for up to 12 ground stations to but in late 2000, the bankruptcy judge OK’d off can be made without interrupting a call. serve the millions of customers expected to the deal and Iridium Satellite LLC became Iridium’s “internetwork” architecture as- use the system. the new owner. Iridium satcom services sures seamless coverage around the globe. The revenue projections, though, esti- were relaunched in March 2001. Each satellite can relay phone calls to mated that each consumer would be willing Colussy immediately terminated a $42 the four nearest adjacent satellites. Calls are to pay steep rates just for basic telephone million per month contract with Motorola relayed from satellite to satellite until they service. Moreover, first-generation Iridium to operate the system and hired for can be beamed down to one of the net- telephones were expensive and bulky, cost- $3.5 million per month for essentially the work’s ground Earth stations. Iridium’s in- ing upward of $3,000 and barely fitting into same range of services. He also slashed ternetwork relay capability puts it in a class a shoebox. Iridium’s bloated staff by several hundred by itself. But then the cell phone industry spread people, further stemming negative cash Its main LEO competitor, GlobalStar, its coverage throughout most populated ar- flow. uses “bent pipe” relay technology, so named eas, offering customers considerably lower Iridium Satellite LLC then was on a solid because it requires the specific satellite be- prices for compact mobile phones and footing to break even with 50,000 to 60,000 ing used by the satcom phone to be in direct much lower online charges. This siphoned subscribers. And the firm already had 25,000 line-of-sight range of a ground Earth station off thousands of potential Iridium cus- long-term U.S. government subscribers as

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anchor customers. It’s the only truly global potentially may interfere with GPS and coverage areas, high reliability and rock- telephone system available for U.S. military, other L-band avionics systems. It’s advis- solid integrity. Commercial satcom services diplomatic and intelligence agency person- able to mount the external Iridium phone were almost an afterthought. Following the nel. Even the best Inmarsat systems lose antenna at least three feet away from any advent of maritime safety services, ICAO coverage above 75 to 85 degrees north or other L-band avionics antenna. Potential certified Inmarsat as the sole provider of south latitude. interference from portable Iridium phones aeronautical safety services in the early Subsequently, Colussy turned over the should be checked thoroughly on the 1990s because of system coverage area, re- reigns to new chairman and CEO Carmen ground before using them in flight. liability and integrity. Lloyd in October 2003. Iridium Satellite A wide variety of satcom service providers Most of the government-sponsored or- LLC now has more than 100,000 sub- compete for Iridium customers, but many ganizations that composed the original con- scribers and it’s generating positive cash equipment manufacturers lock customers sortium eventually sold out to private flow. Lloyd claims the firm is adding 2,000 into long-term service contracts, so it’s ad- companies. U.S.-based COMSAT, for ex- to 3,000 new subscribers each month. visable to read all the fine print in sales con- ample, sold out to Lockheed Martin Global “We had a 44-percent increase in revenue tracts. Most added value service providers Telecommunications in 2000. London- from 2002 to 2003. And we’ve experienced don’t charge extra for long-distance calls. based Inmarsat Group Holdings Ltd. now 17-percent growth in the first half of 2004,” Surf the Internet and you may be able to owns a controlling interest in Inmarsat, with Lloyd told B/CA. “The aeronautical busi- find Iridium service for as low as $0.90 per the International Mobile Satellite ness is one of our more significant growth minute. Organization providing government-to- areas.” government liaison between consortium For folks concerned about system capac- Inmarsat: Fourth Generation members. ity limits, Lloyd assured B/CA that the pres- Promises Much More Privatization has resulted in Inmarsat’s ent system has enough margin to Inmarsat, founded in 1979, is a consortium becoming more business-oriented, so now accommodate “millions of subscribers.” of 79 member countries whose original the organization offers a broader range of Lloyd also claims that the present group purpose was to provide vital satcom safety commercial communications services. of satellites should last until 2014, even services communications with vessels at Safety services, though, remain Inmarsat’s though their being in low Earth orbit causes sea. These services later were expanded to highest priority. Each satellite has finite them to expend rocket fuel reserves to com- include aeronautical, land and land mobile communications capacity. Low-priority pensate for atmospheric drag. He plans to users. functions can be shed to protect safety embark on a “replenishment strategy” in the The consortium invested several hundred services, if needed. The consortium’s Aero next four to five years to ensure uninter- million dollars in developing a satcom sys- H/H+ high-gain service is given the high- rupted service. “However, we won’t need to tem with clearly defined and predictable est priority, so it remains the only satcom launch any satellites until eight or nine years from now,” Lloyd commented. The present Iridium system is capable of XM Radio Weather voice and 2.4 kbps data transfer, so it’s not Air-to-ground weather data links, such as those provided by VDL Mode practical for data link use beyond simple 2, AFIS/ACARS, radiotelephones and aeronautical cellular service, are text messaging or basic flight tracking for yesterday’s technologies. Practically all major avionics manufacturers flight departments. Lloyd is “definitely are embracing “Rock” and “Roll” for high-speed satcom broadcast thinking” about more bandwidth in the next weather for pilots flying over the continental United States. We’re not generation of satellites. talking about a musical genre, but graphical weather services for pi- There are plenty of Iridium equipment manufacturers and service retailers vying lots beamed down from XM Radio’s Western U.S. (“Rock”) and for your business, so pricing is very com- Eastern U.S. (“Roll”) geostationary satellites. petitive. Major Iridium avionics suppliers Baron Services, a Huntsville, Ala., firm that specializes in ground include AeroData, Aircell, Blue Sky weather radar, storm detection and weather information dissemination services for Network, Orb’Phone, Honeywell, Icarus TV broadcasters, has teamed with XM Radio to provide near-real-time graphical weather and International Communications Group, for $50 per month for aeronautical users. Five-minute update cycle NEXRAD weather, among others. Aircell, Blue Sky and lightning detection, winds aloft, echo tops and METAR/TAFs are available. The weather Honeywell are also among the many graphics are geographically referenced so that they can be overlaid on a moving map Iridium satcom service providers. display with the aircraft’s flight plan route. Uninstalled prices for a single-channel sys- In contrast, most other weather services don’t tem range from about $7,500 to $30,000, with many offered for about $20,000. provide geographically referenced weather, so you Multi-channel receivers are available, some must guess where your route will take you by view- offering separate phone numbers and credit ing a U.S. national or regional weather chart. card readers at each passenger seat in the Honeywell’s ground-based FIS-B 32.2 kbps serv- cabin. Several firms also offer portable ice and ORBCOMM’s 2.4 kbps satcom weather Iridium phones, mostly manufactured by services are two of the few exceptions. This pair Motorola, for $1,500 to $3,000. does provide georeferenced weather graphics. Reconditioned Motorola 9505 portables With XM Radio, you not only get weather — you also receive 100-plus channels of cost less than $1,000. Alternatively, they can music and audio entertainment, so while pilots can track the weather, passengers can be rented for $80 per week. These units listen to one of 68 music channels, 33 channels of news, sports or entertainment, or can plug into external antenna jacks and power outlets in the aircraft. even local weather and traffic broadcasts. Please note that portable Iridium phones www.AviationNow.com/BCA Business & Commercial Aviation I September 2004 87

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Worldwide Satellite Coverage (Rockwell Collins eXchange) requires an Aero H specification high-gain antenna and high power amplifier with at least 30 to 40 watts output. Swift64 boxes typically share the high-gain antenna with the aircraft’s Aero H safety services satcom system. Swift64 supports both pay-per-minute, mobile integrated services digital network (ISDN) circuit-mode communications and pay-per-kilobit, mobile packet data service (MPDS), packet-mode functions. Fees are about $10 to $13 per minute (circuit mode) or $5.25 to $6 per megabit (packet mode), depending upon service provider. Up to four Swift64 systems can be operated in parallel to provide up to 256 kbps connec- tion rates. (Each channel that’s operated in circuit mode, though, will cost you $10 to $13 per minute.) We’ve used Swift64 in flight. It provided connection speeds about the same as a dial- up landline modem. “High speed actually Coverage is 90-degree maximum scan angle with 5-degree angle-of-attack margin. It is based on an- tenna performance parameters provided by Rockwell Collins. Actual coverage may vary with demon- is closer to house speed,” observed one strated antenna performance, transponder selection and regulatory approvals. avionics executive. However, Inmarsat will start launching its fourth-generation, geo- link sanctioned by ICAO for safety services Each of these systems requires electron- stationary satellites in May 2005 with op- such as voice communications with oceanic ically or mechanically steered, high-gain erations slated to begin in 2006. The new air traffic control agencies and rapidly antennas provided by makers such as Ball spacecraft will be the largest and heaviest emerging data link services, including ad- Aerospace, Chelton, EMS Technologies commercial launch payloads yet put into dressable and broadcast automatic depend- and Honeywell-Thales. Plan on spending orbit, embracing third-generation GSM ent surveillance (ADS-A and ADS-B) and $80,000 to $100,000 for a high-gain antenna (global system for mobile communication) controller-to-pilot data link communica- system. communications protocols that substan- tions (CPDLC). ADS-A, ADS-B and Inmarsat now offers a wide variety of tially increase their subscriber capacity and CPDLC eventually will replace most voice lower-cost communications services, but bandwidth. communications on transoceanic routes. none have the coverage area and guaran- Inmarsat-IV satellites will blanket most These services are text-based, so the 4.8 teed integrity of Aero H/H+. of the planet below 75 degrees north or kbps to 9.6 kbps offered by Aero H/H+ ®Aero C — a lightweight, compact sys- south latitude with spot beams, providing provides sufficient speed. tem that uses an omni-directional blade an- connection rates as high as 432 kbps using Aero H avionics must meet ARINC 741 tenna and that provides basic voice and 600 Swift Broadband (broadband global area specifications for performance and reliabil- bps data link communications. For use network) data link avionics boxes. Within ity. The original jetliner-size systems typi- mainly over land. those latitude limits, passengers should be cally had a 6MCU satellite data unit (SDU), ®Aero M (also known as Aero Mini-M) — able to connect to the Internet with near- a 4MCU radio frequency unit (RFU) and lightweight, compact system that requires DSL speeds by 2006. Couple two or more an 8MCU high-power amplifier (HPA). a steerable, high-gain antenna enabling it Swift Broadband boxes in parallel and con- Second-generation systems were developed to use Inmarsat spot beams. Capable of 2.4 nection speeds will rival landline cable for business aircraft that were less expensive kbps data link, but intended for use over modems. and more compact, but operators still had land or near coastlines. Almost all of today’s Swift64 boxes can to budget $500,000 and 100-plus pounds for ®Aero L — lightweight, compact system be upgraded to Swift Broadband with mi- installation, although this was a 150-pound with worldwide coverage. Uses omni- nor hardware changes and a software up- weight savings over first generation systems. directional blade antenna and supports date. Inmarsat will continue to support its Today, though, fully integrated, 8MCU voice and 600 bps to 1.2 kbps data link third-generation satellite system, providing Aero H satcom systems are available at a communications. all existing services for several more years. cost of $350,000 to $375,000 installed and ®Aero I — intermediate gain system that The fourth-generation spacecraft, parked weight of about 60 to 70 pounds, including provides most of the benefits of Aero H at over the equator not far from the third- the antenna. lower weight, cost and operating expense. generation satellites, will provide the same Leading Aero H/H+ avionics manufac- Certified for ATC functions and distress and enhanced services using the same high turers include Honeywell-Thales, Rockwell calls, but not aeronautical safety services. gain antennas on aircraft. Today’s Aero C, Collins and Thrane & Thrane. Honeywell Supports voice and 4.8 kbps packet-mode L, I and H satcom boxes, however, will re- builds the largest, most powerful and most data link in Inmarsat spot beams. Popular quire minor hardware and software up- expensive satcom systems, with Rockwell with military fleet operators. grades to use the fourth-generation satellite Collins offering smaller, lighter and less-ex- Inmarsat introduced Swift64 service services. pensive systems in the middle market. about two years ago, a voiceover Internet Avionics manufacturers already are Thrane & Thrane builds the smallest, light- protocol and data link communications sys- preparing for Inmarsat-IV. Dual channel est, lowest power and least-expensive tem capable of speeds of 56 kbps to 64 kbps. Swift Broadband equipment is being de- Inmarsat satcom systems. This is a high-gain, spot beam system that signed that will enable passengers to con-

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nect at 864 kbps. Best of all, Inmarsat offi- ized there was a surplus of Ku-band tem weight ranges from 150 to 200 pounds, cials predict that online per-minute charges transponder capacity aboard dozens of with a full-up system price pushing $1 mil- will drop to $2 to $3 per minute and per- communications satellites. So, it lobbied lion. Service plans will cost between $3,000 megabit packet-mode fees may drop by as the United Nations’ International per month for 10 hours of connection time much as 90 percent. Telecommunications Union (ITU) to open to $6,000 for 40 hours. Extra minutes will up the Ku-band between 14.0 and 14.5 Ghz run between $3 and $7 per minute, in- Ku-Band: The Digital Fire Hose for aeronautical uses. versely related to the cost of the basic serv- Inmarsat-IV’s new capabilities and lower With ITU approval, Boeing then devel- ice plan. Satellite DBS costs an additional fees didn’t just happen because of the con- oped Ku-band electronics, capable of up- $450 to $500 per month. At present, sortium’s generosity. The organization soon linking from aircraft to satellites at 512 kbps eXchange is bundled with Tailwind TV. It’s will face stiff competition from Ku-band on one channel and downlinking from satel- not available as a stand-alone, Ku-band satcom service providers. lites to aircraft at 5 Mbps, or faster, on a sec- data link package. Want T1 line broadband connections in ond channel. The system is branded as A limited number of cable TV channels the air? Nothing comes close to Ku-band Connexion by Boeing and it uses leased Ku- will be re-broadcast on eXchange, enabling satcom data link. Its fire hose capacity band transponder service aboard existing folks to both surf the Net and watch popular makes some other satcom data links seem communications satellites, such as the geo- business programs. Likely channels include like squirt guns. Ku-band satcom has the stationary Telstar, and CNN, Bloomberg Financial, the Weather potential for at least 512 kbps aircraft-to- space vehicles above the equator. Airlines Channel and ESPN. satellite upload speeds and 10 Mbps satel- plan on charging passengers about $25 to Tailwind TV has one dual-channel re- lite-to-aircraft download speeds. $35 per flight for high-speed Internet and ceiver decoder unit (RDU) enabling pas- The downside of Ku-band is that it’s cur- e-mail access. sengers to receive two separate cable TV rently available only in limited areas, typi- We’ve evaluated Connexion by Boeing in programs from potentially hundreds that are cally over large land masses with plenty of flight. For downloads, it’s as fast as any T1 available from the satellites, depending upon ground-based customers. As one pundit ob- line service we have in our home office and licensing agreements in the coverage region. served, “Fish don’t need broadband.” As it has enough capacity to handle dozens of Additional RDUs can be added to the sys- “There’s enough surplus Ku-band transponder capacity that some satellite operators now are looking at providing the service to cruise ships and other mobile users.” you fly farther from population centers, the passengers using it simultaneously. tem, each providing two additional channels signal gets weaker, and baud rates slow to a The early 2000s depression in the airline that can be simultaneously received. trickle and finally stop. industry stifled sales of the system. Finally, Bombardier’s Global 5000, with its fully However, there’s enough surplus Ku- in mid-May 2004, Lufthansa became the integrated Rockwell Collins Air Show 21 band transponder capacity that some satel- first airline to offer Connexion by Boeing cabin environment, will be one of the first lite operators now are looking at providing service on its Airbus 340 flights between production aircraft to be offered with the service to cruise ships and other mo- Los Angeles and Munich. Connexion has Tailwind TV and eXchange broadband bile users. And airlines flying over the turned plenty of heads in the business air- connectivity. Rockwell Collins marketers Pacific are eyeing Ku-band connectivity as craft community. But its jumbo-jet sized believe that 75 percent of the eXchange a value-added passenger service. It’s al- avionics are far too bulky to be installed in market will come from new aircraft and 25 ready available over most of the North most business jets. percent will be retrofit. Atlantic, albeit at slower speeds than over Rockwell Collins sensed opportunity. ARINC’s SKYLink Ku-band system is Europe and the United States. This could The firm’s engineers reasoned that its re- the second main broadband data link prod- open the door to a considerably larger cov- ceive-only, Ku-band Tailwind 500 satellite uct being offered for business aircraft op- erage area. TV antenna could be modified to incorpo- erators. This second-generation system Fourth-generation Inmarsat space vehi- rate a transmit and receive Ku-band uses a 34-pound Ku-band TRU developed cles, in contrast, will provide Swift Connexion by Boeing satcom data link ca- by ViaSat and a specially designed swept Broadband service in two to three years pability. Rockwell Collins negotiated an volume dish antenna to send and receive around the globe below 75 degrees north or agreement with Boeing to use the data. ARINC has partnered with SES south latitude, but at slower connect speeds Connexion system and network, but with Americom, another Ku-band satellite op- than Ku-band satellite transponders. more compact electronics suitable for in- erator, as a co-investor in SKYLink. SES Ku-band avionics also are relatively stallation in large-cabin business jets. Americom expects its Ku-band aeronauti- expensive to install. And online charges Rockwell Collins’ downsized Connexion cal data link services to be up and running range from $3 to $6 per minute, depend- system, called eXchange, uses a modified over the continental United States by the ing on service plan. But that’s considerably Tailwind TV dish antenna along with a end of this year, according to Bob less expensive per megabit of data sent 6MCU Ku-band data link transmitter-re- Thompson, ARINC’s senior director of or received than narrower band satcom ceiver unit (TRU). The result is a Ku-band satellite services. Full North Atlantic cov- connections. system that can either receive up to 475 di- erage is slated for mid-2005, with Europe, Two main aeronautical system providers rect broadcast system (DBS) satellite TV Middle East and Africa coverage planned have emerged, the first being Connexion channels or send and receive Ku-band sig- shortly thereafter. SES Americom also by Boeing. In the late 1990s, Boeing fore- nals using the Connexion by Boeing satel- plans to have full Pacific Ocean region Ku- saw large-scale airliner passenger demand lite network. band coverage, from China to the U.S. for high-speed e-mail and Internet access, Rockwell Collins’ eXchange system will West Coast, from Alaska to Australia, by but only if online charges could be kept be capable of uploading data at 256 kbps late 2005, Thompson said. That would down to reasonable rates. Boeing also real- and downloading at 5 Mbps. 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available over the most frequently traveled SKYLink’s virtual private network (VPN) ICAO’s 21st-century CNS/ATM strategy. overwater and overland air routes before capability. Passengers also can use Aero H for voice Connexion by Boeing or eXchange become Potential buyers please note: When you communications, but it’s far more expen- fully operational. opt for Connexion, eXchange or SKYLink sive than Iridium and offers little additional SKYLink uses proprietary “Arc/Light” avionics, you’re also locked into using benefit. technology using one Ku-band satellite Boeing, Rockwell Collins or ARINC as the For cabin connectivity, Swift64, also transponder for both up- and downloading. only service providers as long as the equip- from Inmarsat, is an excellent interim so- Connexion and eXchange, in contrast, need ment is aboard your aircraft, according to lution, particularly with the coming of separate satellite transponders for upload- current contracts. It’s not like having a cell Swift Broadband (broadband global area ing and downloading. Thompson claims phone, where you can switch service network — BGAN) in two years. BGAN this could halve connection charges, but providers if you find a better deal. offers 432 kbps per channel and it’s avail- they’re actually close to what Rockwell ability is practically guaranteed because of Collins envisions for eXchange. ARINC’s Future Competition the financial strength of Inmarsat. plans range from $3,500 per month for 10 Bodes Well for Customers Ku-band connectivity offers the most po- hours of connect time to $6,500 for 40 Satcom, once a novelty aboard business air- tential bandwidth for truly high-speed con- hours. “It’s a bucket of hours and all you can craft, could become as commonplace in the nectivity. With Connexion by Boeing and eat,” explained Thompson. cabin as reading lights, power outlets and ARINC’s SKYLink fighting for market Gulfstream Aerospace will be the first air vents. Business travelers have become share, competition should improve cover- airframe manufacturer to offer SKYLink accustomed to broadband connectivity in age area and pricing in the future. At pres- systems as factory options. Pending avion- their offices, homes and hotels at a time ent, however, it’s not clear whether ics certification is expected to pave the way when aeronautical satcom equipment is be- Ku-band coverage will be extended to in- for SKYLink service over the continental coming more versatile, more capable and clude all frequently flown overland and United States by the end of the year. less expensive. overwater routes. Cessna also is eyeing SKYLink as an op- If you need basic telephone service in the These three satcom technologies prom- tion for the Citation X, but its plans are less cabin, we recommend you look closely at ise to transform the ways folks in the cock- well-developed. the Iridium solutions because they’re so pit and cabin communicate and connect Pilots can look forward to visiting their cost-effective and the services are available with air traffic controllers, business clients favorite Web sites for weather, winds and anywhere on the planet. and computers on the ground. The business other preflight briefing services. Back in For aeronautical safety services, aircraft community finally is acquiring the the cabin, passengers will be able to surf the Inmarsat’s Aero H system remains the only tools it needs to make the “office in the sky” Internet or log onto secure Web sites using choice. This technology is a key part of become a reality. B/CA Satcom Hardware Providers AirCell, Inc. Honeywell Inc. Sky Connect LLC — 1172 Century Dr., Bldg. B, Ste. 280 Commercial Aviation Systems Icarus Instruments Louisville, CO 80027-9417 5353 W. Bell Rd. 6930 Carroll Ave., Ste. 501 Phone: (800) 328-0200 Glendale, AZ 85308 Takoma Park, MD 20912 Fax: (303) 926-8970 Phone: (602) 436-0272 Phone: (703) 404-4400 www.aircell.com Fax: (602) 436-8200 www.skyconnect.aero ARINC, Inc. www.honeywell.com Teledyne Controls 2551 Riva Rd. International Communications Group Inc. 12333 E. Olympic Blvd. Annapolis, MD 21401 200 Enterprise Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90064 Phone: (800) 633-6882 Newport News, VA 23603 Phone: (310) 820-4616 www.arinc.com Phone: (757) 947-1030 or (800) 279-1991 Fax: (310) 442-4324 Blue Sky Network Fax: (757) 947-1035 www.teledynecontrols.com 1298 Prospect St., Ste. 1D www.intcomgrp.com Thrane & Thrane, Inc. La Jolla, CA 92037 Orb’Phone — Euro-GSM Ltd. 509 Viking Dr., Ste. K, L & M Phone: (858) 551-3894 P.O. Box 5 Virginia Beach, VA 23452 Fax: (858) 551-3891 Brussels 1200 Belgium Phone: (866) SATCOMS www.blueskynetwork.com Phone: +32-2-35-03-33 or (757) 463-9557 Fax: +32-2-633-49-32 Fax: (757) 463-9581 CMC Electronics Inc. www.euro-gsm.com www.tt.dk 415 Legget Dr. P.O. Box 13330 Rockwell Collins Universal Avionics Systems Corp. Ottawa, Ontario 400 Collins Rd. N.E. 3260 E. Universal Way K2K 2B2 Canada Cedar Rapids, IA 52498 Tucson, AZ 85706 Phone: (613) 592-7466 Phone: (319) 295-1000 Phone: (520) 295-2300 Fax: (613) 592-7417 Fax: (319) 295-2297 Fax: (520) 295-2395 www.cmcelectronics.ca www.cca.rockwell.com www.uasc.com EMS Technologies SAGEM Avionics, Inc. (formerly ARNAV) ViaSat 1725 Woodward Dr. Pierce County Airport 6155 El Camino Real Ottawa, Ontario 16923 Meridian E. Carlsbad, CA 92009-1699 K2C 09P Canada Puyallup, WA 98373 Phone: (760) 476-2200 Phone: (613) 727-1771 Phone: (253) 848-6060 Fax: (760) 929-3941 Fax: (613) 727-1200 Fax: (253) 848-3555 www.viasat.com www.ems-t.com www.sagem.com

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