The partnership between Azercosmos and Viasat, formalized on April 6, 2026, involves a sophisticated frequency coordination effort to integrate Azerbaijan into the European Aviation Network (EAN).
This network is unique because it combines S-band satellite coverage with a complementary ground component (CGC) consisting of hundreds of terrestrial towers. To ensure this system operates without interrupting Azerbaijan’s existing mobile and emergency telecommunications, the two organizations must manage the 1980–2010 MHz (uplink) and 2170–2200 MHz (downlink) frequency blocks.
A critical aspect of this coordination is the management of the Complementary Ground Component. Unlike traditional satellite-only Wi-Fi, the EAN uses ground stations to provide high-speed data when an aircraft is flying over land, switching seamlessly to satellite when over water. In Azerbaijan, Azercosmos acts as the local regulatory and infrastructure partner, ensuring that these ground stations are positioned and calibrated to avoid “interference spillover” into the 2GHz bands used by domestic 4G and 5G operators. This is particularly complex in urban centers like Baku, where the density of terrestrial signals is highest.
The technical backbone of this service is the Viasat Amara platform, which Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) is currently installing on twenty of its newest Airbus and Boeing aircraft. This platform utilizes multi-orbit and multi-network capabilities, allowing the onboard equipment to transition between Viasat’s Ka-band satellites and the S-band EAN ground network without the passenger experiencing a drop in connection. The coordination with Azercosmos ensures that the “handover” between the satellite and the ground towers is optimized for Azerbaijan’s specific geography, which includes high-altitude mountain ranges that can otherwise cause signal shadowing.
By acting as a registered internet provider—a status AZAL officially secured in December 2025—the airline can now manage the end-to-end data flow for its passengers. The agreement signed at the Space Technology Conference in Tashkent clarifies the revenue-sharing and data-hosting roles, with Azercosmos providing the domestic gateway infrastructure. This allows AZAL to offer tiered services, such as free messaging for all passengers and high-speed streaming for business class and loyalty members, while maintaining full compliance with Azerbaijan’s national data sovereignty and cybersecurity laws.
