Panasonic Avionics + SAS… Entertaining Connections (SATCOM)

[SatNews] Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic), a provider of state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment and communications (IFEC) systems, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) to deliver full broadband connectivity and mobile phone service on SAS’ domestic, pan-European and intercontinental flights.

While final terms are still being negotiated, the LOI allows the parties to immediately begin developing the plan to deploy Panasonic‘s eXConnect solution, and its eXPhone product delivered in collaboration with AeroMobile, across SAS‘ fleet with installations to begin in fall 2011. Panasonic’s eXConnect system provides two-way broadband connectivity to an aircraft. It supports a wide range of passenger and crew applications, and SAS will use the solution to provide in-flight broadband Internet access over WiFi to passengers. The company’s eXPhone product, offered in collaboration with AeroMobile’s inflight mobile phone service, will allows SAS passengers to use their mobile phones, smart phones and BlackBerry® devices onboard to make and receive voice calls if selected by the airline, send and receive SMS text messages, and use GPRS services such as email and internet access.

Additionally, the Company has announced the first test flight of its eXTV service. During the flight, which took place on January 26, 2011, the company used eXTV to successfully deliver a live television feed to a Boeing Business Jet equipped with Panasonic’s eXConnect service. Panasonic’s eXTV television network will use the company’s eXConnect in-flight Ku-band communications service to deliver high quality television programming to passengers during their flight. It will provide live, uninterrupted content to aircraft flying all over the world, even over oceans. The service will offer several baseline channels in addition to optional, premium programming.