November 10, 2015 – Singapore airlines has signed up as a customer for Honeywell Aerospace’s JetWave satellite communications hardware, for connection to Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) Aviation broadband service. The solution will be provided through Zodiac Inflight Innovations and SITAONAIR, and will provide a fast and stable wi-fi experience aboard aircraft via Inmarsat’s GX Ka-band network.
The installation of the first GX system is scheduled for the second half of 2016 and will be equipped on Singapore Airlines’ B777-300ER aircraft, followed by its A380-800s. The GX global Ka-band network is claimed to provide aircraft with data rates of up to 50Mbps.
Brian Davis, VP for airlines, Asia Pacific, Honeywell Aerospace stated, “As consumer electronic devices continue to consume frequency bandwidth, more demand will be placed on high- speed satellite connectivity and infrastructure. Honeywell’s JetWave hardware and Inmarsat’s Global Xpress will support this growth trajectory, giving passengers greater flexibility and not have the frequent in-flight disruptions consumers currently experience on other available systems.”
In August, Inmarsat successfully launched a third GX satellite. Together, these three satellites provide seamless global coverage for the GX Aviation network. As demand ramps up, additional capacity will be added to the network, with a fourth Global Xpress satellite already scheduled for launch in 2016. The third launch comes less than three months after Honeywell’s first successful over-the-air test for JetWave on Inmarsat’s GX satellite network. The flight tests validated the reality of a truly seamless experience of connectivity and capability for passengers, airlines and operators.
