[SatNews] Inmarsat (LSE:ISAT.L) has announced that SwiftBroadband™ will be deployed as the satellite backbone…
…for inflight Internet services on two airlines in the Asia Pacific region. Japanese air carrier ANA will deploy SwiftBroadband on its international routes from mid-2013. ANA is one of Japan’s leading airlines and a member of the Star Alliance. From next year, Inmarsat-enabled WiFi services will be available on all the airline’s international routes, which mainly serve American and European destinations. The SwiftBroadband service is being provided by Inmarsat distribution partner OnAir, which will deploy its ‘Internet OnAir’ WiFi capability in each aircraft. The agreement initially covers 28 aircraft, made up of a mix of Boeing 777-300ERs and Boeing 767-300ERs.
OnAir is also providing inflight connectivity for Cebu Pacific Air, the Philippines’ largest flag carrier and the first low cost carrier (LCC) in Southeast Asia. Starting with deployment in its Airbus A330 fleet, it will roll out Internet OnAir to passengers during 2013. The airline also has the option to install WiFi on its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft, for short haul flights, in the next phase. Once in service, Cebu Pacific passengers will be able to access the Internet while in-flight and make calls using Voice over IP (VoIP) applications via wi-fi enabled devices, including Android™ phones and tablets, iPhone® , iPad®, Blackberry®, and laptops. Manilla-based Cebu Pacific will be the first long-haul LCC in South East Asia to provide inflight internet access.
SwiftBroadband is the most successful broadband data solution in the airline industry, with over 2,500 aircraft systems operating on routes all over the world. It provides services to both cockpit and cabin, delivering multiple simultaneous channels of IP data to support internet browsing, Virtual Private Networks, email, telephony, VoIP, and text messaging.
