The Battle for Connectivity Is Joined, Goal Is to Provide True 'Office in Sky'

With the introduction of new satellite technologies and airborne equipment for the cabin, the reality of the global office in the sky has never been closer for operators of business jets. While Connexion by Boeing and Tenzing focus on bringing data to commercial transports-with more of an emphasis on broadband capabilities, particularly from the Boeing offering-Swift64 from Inmarsat is quickly becoming the satellite service of choice for business aircraft, as evidenced by the many manufacturers developing Swift64 hardware-including Ball Aerospace (U.S.), EMS Technologies (Canada), Honeywell/Thales (U.S./UK), Rockwell Collins (U.S.), Teledyne Controls (U.S.) and Thrane & Thrane (Denmark).

The manufacturers supply the avionics needed to link the aircraft with ground networks via the Inmarsat satellites. Swift64 avionics are designed to work with the high-gain antennas already installed on most long-haul airliners and many corporate jets.

Inmarsat's present service offering provides passengers in the corporate jet market with ISDN speeds of 64 kbit/s, which "is as good as you will get in an average hotel room," said John Uczekaj, head of business and regional avionics at Honeywell. Later this year, the Inmarsat service will be expanded to include a Mobile Packet Data capability based on IP-protocol, and by the end of the year will be available to the commercial airline market.

The Inmarsat Swift64 platform utilizes existing aircraft communications infrastructure to provide e-mail and Internet access, video conferencing facilities and file transfer capability to aircraft passengers. Today, up to 80% of modern long-haul commercial aircraft and more than 1,000 corporate jets have the Inmarsat satellite communications antenna infrastructure needed to carry Swift64 services. Operators with satcom systems and Aero-H antennas will need to buy only the black boxes offered by each manufacturer, plug them in and surf the Web.

"Inmarsat's Swift64 platform uses existing aircraft antennae and satellite communication avionics to the maximum extent possible," said Michael Butler, managing director of Inmarsat Ltd. "A limited technology upgrade is needed, which in turn delivers an important cost benefit to the airline, government or business aircraft operator.

"Significantly, this solution is starting to be rolled out as a commercial service now, well ahead of potential competitors, who have yet to prove their infrastructure-intensive broadband initiatives."

The performance of Swift64 is based on the communications capabilities of Inmarsat's current generation of satellites, the Inmarsat 3s. Inmarsat has adapted its 64 kbps LAN-network technology to the aerospace market, using proprietary protocols and new compression technology to funnel much more information via the Aero-H and H+ satcom antennas in use today.

Responding to the growing demand for mobile broadband services, Inmarsat is developing a fourth generation that is expected to be operational in 2004.

The Inmarsat I-4s will give global reach to mobile data services parallel with those now being developed for cellular users on the ground-the second-generation General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), with a maximum theoretical data rate of 172 kbit/s, and the third-generation Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), offering better than 384 kbit/s.

The new satellites will be the cornerstone of Inmarsat's Broadband Global Area Network (B-GAN), designed to deliver data to mobile users at speeds of up to 432 kbit/s.

Among the hardware avionics offerings designed to take advantage of Swift64 connectivity:

Rockwell Collins has successfully demonstrated its high-speed satcom datalink capability using the Inmarsat Swift64 service. Available this month, the HST-900 enables passenger e-mail and Internet access and is provisioned for future applications as they become available.

Designed as a companion to the Collins SAT-906 satellite communications system, the HST-900 high-speed transceiver provides 64 kbps per second connectivity using an aircraft's existing satcom antenna and SAT-906 high-power amplifier. The system is equipped with Ethernet, ISDN and RS-232 interfaces for maximum flexibility and allows for simultaneous use of high-speed datalink and Aero H/H+ services. Once installed, the system can be upgraded for new generations of high-speed datalink, with minimal impact.

Honeywell and Thales began production of the HS-600 in June. The partnership says the HS-600 was the first airborne data system to use Inmarsat Swift64 high-speed data service. The HS600 can be added to any Honeywell/Thales satellite communications system, including the three-channel MCS-3000, four-channel MCS-4000, six-channel MCS-6000 or seven-channel MCS-7000. All utilize Inmarsat's satellite constellation and ground infrastructure.

In recent months, Gulfstream Aerospace said it will offer the Honeywell/Thales HS-600 high-speed data system on four business jets: Gulfstream IV, Gulfstream IV-SP, Gulfstream V and Gulfstream V-SP.

EMS Technologies offers the HSD-64, a single-channel 64 kbps aeronautical data terminal, which the company says is a simple upgrade to existing Aero H/H+ satcom installations, and uses the Inmarsat Swift64 mobile ISDN service to provide high-speed data capability. Expanding on HSD-64 is the company's new HSD-128, which was installed on a corporate jet for the first time in April. HSD-128 is a two-channel system installed with an existing Arinc 741 satcom system and interfaced to an onboard server. The HSD-128 allows users the choice between standard Aero-H voice and two channels of Swift64 high-speed data.

Teledyne Controls offers the high-speed data Satcom HSD-128, which provides global voice and high-speed data connectivity utilizing the Swift64 service over the Inmarsat3 satellite constellation, and permits an air traveler to browse the Internet, videoconference, access private company networks and send/receive e-mail from existing accounts while en route. The HSD-128 is a global extension of Teledyne's MagnaStar Telephone and offers two Swift64 channels. HSD-128 is part of the company's SmartCabin Office integrated family of products, which will be displayed this week in Orlando.

Thrane & Thrane (Booth 671) will unveil in Orlando this week the Aero-HSD+, a multi-channel voice, fax and high-speed data solution, seamlessly integrating two Inmarsat services (Aero-H+ and Swift64) into one system. The Aero-H+ service provides two voice, fax, and PC modem data channels and one-packet data channel for cockpit communications (e.g., CPDL and CNS/ATM). The Swift64 service provides a fourth high-speed data channel for ISDN, MPDS, G4 fax, and secure telephone equipment. The combination of the Aero-H+ and Swift64 services is said to provide a cost-effective solution for live video conferencing, real-time image transmission, LAN/WAN connection, e-mail, Internet browsing, and virtual private networking.
Thrane & Thrane last year won the contract from Inmarsat to provide the ground network (called the Radio Access Network, or RAN) for Inmarsat's planned Broadband Global Area Network. BGAN will support the fourth-generation Inmarsat satellite network, providing data speeds of up to 432 kbps.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies hooked up with Tenzing late last year, in an agreement by which Ball will be a provider of airborne equipment for the introduction of high-speed e-mail and Internet services to passengers via the Inmarsat 64 kbps Global Area Network. Though Tenzing has focused its efforts on the commercial transport market rather than business aviation over the past year, it has also said it will use Ball Aerospace's Airlink HSD avionics to upgrade existing satcom installations or to equip new aircraft to offer the Inmarsat 64 kbps services. The Airlink HSD avionics can be integrated with most existing Aero-H/H+ satcom antennas, including the Airlink High Gain Antenna System, an Aero-H satcom product that Ball Aerospace has been delivering for more than 10 years.

By Barry Rosenberg