Intelsat SA , a global integrated satellite solutions provider, has joined the Seamless Air Alliance, a consortium that aims to facilitate a better and more seamless inflight connectivity experience for air passengers
The standards would eliminate the immense costs and hurdles commonly associated with acquisition, installation and operation of data access infrastructure by streamlining system integration and certification, providing open specifications for interoperability.
It would also empower mobile operators to extend their services into airline cabins and airline passengers to board any flight on any airline anywhere in the world and use their own devices to automatically connect to the Internet.
Mark Rasmussen, vice-president and general manager, Mobility, said, “When boarding a plane for business or leisure, passengers want fast and easy access to high-quality, reliable broadband connectivity. That is why Intelsat continues to build a strong ecosystem of partners that will leverage 3GPP standards to create a seamless, global broadband infrastructure that offers airlines and passengers a consistent, uninterrupted experience.”
Satellite serving will be the primary means to connecting aircraft. With the help of this, Intelsat will contribute in the integration of geostationary and low-Earth orbit satellite solutions into the hybrid network and help define standards, test equipment and develop service packages focused on the aeronautical market.
Jack Mandala, CEO of the Seamless Air Alliance, expressed, “Over the next 90 days our Working Groups will develop and draft deliverables that will shape the future of in-flight connectivity, and having Intelsat participate in that process is incredibly valuable."
Intelsat’s globalised network combines the world’s largest satellite backbone with terrestrial infrastructure, managed services and an open, interoperable architecture to enable customers to drive revenue and reach through a new generation of network services.
