Honywell orders Ka-band transceivers from Wavestream for GX satellite Internet

Honeywell recently awarded an exclusive contract to Wavestream for the provision of Ka-band transceivers that will be integrated into the airborne antenna systems of the Inmarsat Global Xpress (GX) in-flight satellite Internet network. Wavestream will begin scaled production of the transceivers in 2014.

Honeywell is in charge of the development and distribution of on-board hardware that allows users to access GX Aviation, a high speed Ka-band system from Inmarsat.

Wavestream is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. It develops and deploys BUCs and amplifiers for military and commercial customers, who use its products for various satellite communications applications. The Company has deployed more than 5,000 of its Ka-band products during the last three years.

Wavestream implemented its patented Spatial advantEdge technology in its Ka-band transceiver family to create product packages for fixed, mobile, and flyaway antenna systems. The Company's amplifiers and BUCs are smaller and lighter than the norm yet possess high output power, superior efficiency, and improved reliability. Its products are carefully designed and thoroughly tested for operation in extreme environments, ensuring continuous connectivity for operations critical to national defense and demanding consumer broadband applications such as the GX satellite Internet solution.

SES, O3b enter satellite Internet capacity deal with Digicel in Papua New Guinea

A recent partnership between satellite operator SES and satellite service provider O3b Networks will provide satellite Internet capacity to Digicel, a mobile telcom operator based in Papua New Guinea.

Digicel is a long-term partner of SES. The telcom company will be using capacity from the NSS-9 satellite operated by SES, as well as the Medium Earth Orbit fleet run by O3b, to provide Internet on satellite bandwidth for its cellular network services in the Pacific island nation.

The contract with Digicel offers a unique connectivity solution featuring complementary geostationary satellites and Medium Earth Orbit satellites. The combination of the NSS-9 satellite's comprehensive coverage and the O3b constellation's high throughput and low latency allows Digicel to provide its customers in Papua New Guinea with cheap, efficient, andreliable cellular network services.

The cost-effective O3b solution supports Digicel's innovation of mobile services in the Pacific region by extending the local networks' coverage through O3b's satellite transport services.

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United Airlines now offers satellite-based Wi-Fi service onboard trans-oceanic flights

Major U.S air carrier United Airlines recently debuted its onboard satellite-based Wi-Fi internet service on the first of its international airplane, making the company the first U.S-based international airline to provide customers with connectivity services while traveling on long-haul, trans-oceanic routes.

The first trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific aircraft of United Airlines that will be equipped with Panasonic Avionics Corporation's Ku-band satellite technology is the Boeing 747. Moreover, United also equipped two Airbus 319 aircraft traveling domestic routes with Ku-band satellite Wi-Fi, allowing passengers to enjoy high-speed in-flight Internet service compared to air-to-ground technology (ATG). By the end of 2013, the U.S airline expects to finish installing satellite-based Wi-Fi on 300 mainline aircraft, including Airbus 320, Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787.

In a company statement, Vice Chairman and Chief Revenue Officer Jim Compton said that by offering a satellite Internet service, it allows United Airlines to serve their passengers better and offer more than what they want in a global airline.

“With this new service, we continue to build the airline that customers want to fly,” Compton added.

United Airlines passengers can choose between two speeds -- Standard, which costs initially between $3.99 and $14.99, depending on the duration of the flight, and Accelerated, which costs initially between $5.99 and $19.99, offering faster download speeds compared to Standard.

In other news, United Airlines is on the process of upgrading its aircrafts with more than $500 million in additional onboard improvements, including the following:

1. Offering the world’s biggest aircraft fleet with flat-bed seats, with more than 175 airplanes outfitted with 180-degree flat beds in premium cabins once United finishes installing in the second quarter.

2. Expanding extra-legroom Economy Plus seating to provide the most such seating of any U.S airline.

3. Renewing the transcontinental “p.s” fleet of aircrafts that travel between Los Angeles and New York Kennedy and San Francisco, offering passengers with a better premium cabin experience with fully flat beds, Wi-Fi Internet service and personal on-demand entertainment at every seat.

4. Enhancing inflight entertainment options by providing streaming video content on the Boeing 747-400 fleet.

5. Installing overhead bins on 152 Airbus aircrafts, providing a considerably greater amount of storage for carry-on baggage.

Vivacom rolls out new satellite Internet packages in Bulgaria

Bulgarian telecommunications operator Vivacom is glad to announce that the company has launched two new satellite Internet packages directed at domestic enterprise users.

The new offer from Vivacom provides speeds of 18/6 Mbps and as much as 60 GB of monthly traffic. The Bulgarian telecom company said that it has made its satellite Internet service available to customers who live in remote and distant locations that have no telecommunication infrastructure.

Based on innovative satellite technology, the new satellite Internet service of Vivacom does not need the use of cables, the company said in a statement. With this offer, the company is positioned as an Internet service provider that has full Internet coverage all over Bulgaria as it now has the ability to provide Internet access even to locations lacking telecommunication infrastructure.

Gogo installs ATG-4, Internet from satellite in-flight solutions on new American Airlines aircraft

Gogo is installing two of its in-flight connectivity solutions -Ku-band Internet from satellite and the Company's new-generation Air to Ground-4 (ATG-4) technology- on the new deliveries of Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 slated for use by American Airlines.

American Airlines aircraft equipped with the dual Gogo ATG-4/Internet fromsatellite solutions will be able to provide domestic and international passengers with flexible in-flight internet service no matter the aircraft's mission. Gogo will perform installations starting 2013 as American receives its new aircraft.

Gogo also installed in-flight Internet solutions on the MD-80 and Boeing 737, 757, and 767 aircraft in American Airlines' domestic fleet. Its systems currently equip more than 400 aircraft operated by American.