Honeywell Offers High-Speed Datalink
For True Internet Connection In Flight

High-speed data transfer is the big news from Honeywell as it unveils for the first time at an international show its new HS-600 high speed data box developed in partnership with Thales.

"It really is quite a breakthrough in terms of reliability and the ability to get hotel-like connections to the Internet on the airplane," said John Uczekaj, general manager of Honeywell's business and regional airline avionics group.

"It's quite a step in terms of our overall vision to bring productivity to the airplane through integration and information transfer."

The HS-600 makes real-time in-flight Internet connections possible at up to 64 Kilobytes per second (Kbps) compared with today's mediocre 2.4 Kbps, using the newly available Swift64 service from telecom satellite operator Inmarsat.

The new box is designed for plug-and-play installation with existing Honeywell/ Thales MCS satcom units with an Aero H or H+ antenna. Its job is to take the Swift64 service and make it usable by an Ethernet port. It lists for $218,000 before installation.

"We are just going to market with this in June or July. We already have some unannounced orders," says Uczekaj. "We have gotten a lot of activity, a lot of interest."

For the future, Honeywell is working on high-speed data units that will allow up to 175 Kbps "when the pipeline or the communications technology is there," added Uczekaj.

But he noted that for many who just want email and Internet access, 64 Kbps will be fast enough for quite some time to come. Many companies (including Connexion by Boeing) are seeking broad band solutions to much faster data transmission, but Honeywell is focusing for now on technologies to provide high speed with existing antennas and satellite systems.

"There is lot of hype in this particular area," said Uczekaj. "We take a fairly conservative stance to providing the technology when it's available. Right now the satellite and antenna technology is not quite there for broadband."

Honeywell is at Booth 7000.