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Intelsat joins alliance developing specs for inflight connectivity

3rd August 2018

By: Natasha Odendaal

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

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Integrated satellite solutions group Intelsat has become the latest member of the Seamless Air Alliance consortium to accelerate the development of standards to facilitate better, more seamless inflight connectivity.

The Seamless Air Alliance was formed earlier this year to develop specifications for seamless connections for air passengers’ devices, such as laptops and smartphones, without having to login or use credit cards, enabled through the passengers’ own mobile operators’ platforms.

The founding members include Airbus, Airtel, Delta, OneWeb and Sprint, with the alliance gaining additional industry operators Nokia, Air France KLM, Aeromexico and GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes.

Each member is expected to contribute expertise, ideas and experience through various working groups to help develop new standards and technical specifics, such as equipment needs, billing and deployment models, and make recommendations.

“The standards will eliminate the immense costs and hurdles commonly associated with the acquisition, installation and the operation of data access infrastructure by streamlining system integration and certification, providing open specifications for interoperability,” says Intel mobility VP and GM Mark Rasmussen.

“Over the next 90 days, our working groups will develop and draft deliverables that will shape the future of inflight connectivity, and having Intelsat participate in that process is incredibly valuable,” adds Seamless Air Alliance CEO Jack Mandala.

The standards will enable mobile operators to extend their services into any airliner cabin globally, and allow passengers to use their own devices to automatically connect to the Internet, with “no complicated login process” or paywall to “scramble over”.

Broadband Infrastructure

Intelsat plans to leverage its ecosystem of partners, in addition to the third-generation partnership project (3GPP) standards, to create a seamless, global broadband infrastructure that offers airlines and passengers a consistent, uninterrupted experience.

The 3GPP grouping provides seven telecommunication standards development organisations and its members provide a stable environment to produce reports and specifications that define 3GPP technologies.

According to the website, the project covers cellular telecommunications network technologies, including radio access, the core transport network and service capabilities, and provides complete system specifications.

Intelsat aims to further collaborate with its exclusive mobility applications channel partner, OneWeb, existing partners, such as Gogo, and other network operators.

“With satellite serving as the primary means of connecting aircraft, Intelsat will contribute to 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 aeronautics market,” the group explains.

“We are very pleased to have Intelsat join and contribute its breadth of experience to creating a better passenger experience for airline customers everywhere," Mandala says.

In May, Intelsat joined Smart Africa, an initiative formed in 2013 to accelerate sustainable socioeconomic development in Africa through the use of information and communication technology, in an effort to help fast-track the continent’s digital transformation.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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