Shots across the bow here by Rockwell Collins, ARINC and EMS
Satcom show that the battle to win business providing broadband data links to
large and midsize business jets is heating up.
Not that the systems are inexpensive. The ARINC system, for
example, costs more than $300,000 at list price.
But Rockwell Collins said here it is flight-testing its new
eXchange Ku band system (based on the Boeing Connexion system) on a Bombardier
aircraft and has a launch customer for the new system on two Global Express XRS
aircraft. Meanwhile, ARINC reports it has delivered 25 ship sets of its Skylink
Ku band system to Gulfstream, and that about half of the customers for new G350s, G450s, G500s and G550s are
selecting the factory option. And ARINC is talking to Bombardier as well,
noting that Rockwell Collins does not have an exclusive agreement there.
Ku band systems, offered by both Rockwell Collins and ARINC,
will be able to connect passengers in the cabin to their corporate computer
systems as if they were in the office. Voice and fax transmission? No problem.
Four channels of TV over the ocean? Of course. North Atlantic and Pacific ocean
coverage? Will be available before long. Rockwell Collins provides the
highest-speed connection at 5 Mbps, with ARINC weighing in with 3.5 Mbps.
The Rockwell Collins system, using a Collins Tailwind
antenna and a Boeing Connexion type server, will also make it possible to see
direct TV over the U.S., TPF in Europe and Showtime Arabian in the Middle East.
These are available as premium channels, says Denny Helgeson, vp and general
manager, business and regional systems, for Rockwell Collins.
Ku band systems are expected to do well in large-cabin jets
and even in midsize aircraft, according to Robert B. Thompson of ARINC. But the
ARINC system includes two 4 MCU-size avionics boxes and weighs about 40 lbs, so
he says there is a limit to how small an aircraft it can go on based on room
for the avionics suite.
Thompson says that Inmarsat's broadband service on L band
will be coming onto the market soon as well, with 432 Kbps speed. EMS Satcom
and Thales are expected to be among the suppliers of hardware for this system.
Inmarsat is currently launching its Inmarsat 4 satellites with this capability.
Ironically, airlines are leading the way ahead of business
jets for broadband data links to the cabin. Boeing Connexion, for example, is
now flying on about seven airlines, with four more in the wings. But there are
only about 90 aircraft equipped so far, about half of them at Lufthansa. The
airline systems cost about $1 million each. Ed Laase, director of government
and executive programs at Connexion by Boeing, says systems are being installed
primarily on aircraft used in international service.
