Bahrain Airshow: Middle East Airline could be first customer for GX Ka-band I-5 satellite

Inmarsat says that in-flight testing of its first GX Ka-band I-5 satellite, which was launched on December 8, is going well and it hopes to announce the first air transport customer in the near future.
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Industry sources suggest that this is likely to be a major Middle Eastern airline, with confirmation coming before or at April’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. 

The first I-5 GX satellite is currently using a xenon ion propulsion engine to push it to its final orbital position above the Indian Ocean, where it should arrive next month. 

The GX programme to bring global ultra-fast connectivity to the aviation community is on course, said Ben Griffin, Inmarsat’s regional director, aviation, at the show. 

He added that testing began in January and should be fully complete by June. Two further satellites, which will cover the Atlantic and Pacific regions, will be launched later this year. 

Inmarsat has also placed an order with Boeing’s El Segundo facility, near Los Angeles, for a fourth I-5 satellite as a back-up in case of launch or in-orbit failure. 

“The commercial introduction of the GX service is on track for early 2015,” said Griffin. “The Ka-band system promises to deliver up to 50Mbps connectivity to civil airliners, with slightly lower speeds to business jets. “This will revolutionise in-flight connectivity,” he added, “bringing the kind of experience passengers are used to on the ground”. 

Inmarsat’s partner, Honeywell, is also working hard to deliver the two aero antennas needed for the system – the first is a fuselage-mounted system for commercial airliners, the other a tail-mounted antenna for business jets. The company has also made a big investment with Kymeta for a revolutionary flat-panel antenna for business aircraft using futuristic meta materials. 

Demand is expected to be high. Leo Mondale, managing director of Inmarsat Global Xpress, said: “Over the coming 10 years, some 10,000 new business jets are forecast to enter service.” 

Meanwhile, Inmarsat has not forgotten its existing L-band SwiftBroadband system. Recent enhancements include the introduction of high data rate (HDR) bearers and helicopter-friendly waveforms. Testing for certified aviation safety services (air traffic control information) over SwiftBroadband is also under way.