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Lufthansa Technik believes it is a leader -- if not the front runner -- in providing a true broadband communication to VIPs in flight.

It recently delivered an Airbus A340 executive aircraft with a broadband antenna (from Connexion by Boeing) in the roof that allows its Middle Eastern owner to watch live TV and surf the Net while flying to and from North America.

It has also certified its own live TV and Satcom TIOS antenna (it stands for Two In One Service) for e-mail and Internet applications, and will install it in a Lufthansa Boeing 737 vertical tail for testing in service early next year.

"Satcom on our aircraft is not an issue -- we have had that for years. But it has a very limited data flow," Lufthansa Technik chairman August Henningsen told Show News. "What our customers want is no difference in quality in communications, live TV or Internet than when they are on the ground. Anything less is just not acceptable."

That will mean developing a broadband TV-based system in the aircraft, and integrating it with available satellites.

Henningsen says Lufthansa Technik is closer than most to offering it.