After inking memorandums of understanding with Intelsat and Panasonic Avionics Corporation earlier this year, Airbus has firmed up agreements with each company to formally add them as Ku-band managed service providers (MSPs) on its supplier-furnished, linefit Airspace Link HBCplus inflight connectivity programme. The European airframer used the occasion of the APEX/IFSA Global EXPO in Long Beach to make the announcement.

“Intelsat and Panasonic Avionics Corporation have respectively signed contracts and are thus confirmed as launch managed service providers (MSPs) for the Ku-band multi-orbit LEO/GEO HBCplus offering,” says Airbus.

As previously reported, Airbus has chosen Safran Passenger Innovations (SPI) to provide the Ku-band satcom hardware for the programme, integrating Get SAT’s electronically steerable antenna (ESA) in the terminal. Aircraft are expected to be delivered linefit with the kit starting in 2026. In the near-term, Airbus will install and test the hardware on its Airbus Explorer A350-900 testbed aircraft, Airbus vice president cabin marketing Ingo Wuggetzer tells RGN.

Notably, the Get SAT antenna will unlock “simultaneous multi-beam operation” for HBCplus Ku-band services as it can talk to both Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and GEO satellites at the same time. That’s important to both Intelsat and Panasonic, which are each pursuing plans to deliver multi-orbit LEO/GEO services to airlines.

A vertically integrated service provider, Intelsat operates its own network of GEO satellites, and is a distribution partner for OneWeb’s LEO service in aero. Panasonic’s network represents a cadre of agreements with GEO satellite operators from around the world, including Intelsat, and it too is a OneWeb distribution partner in aero.

Under the Airspace Link HBCplus programme, Airbus provides the broadband connectivity kit — and related services — as linefit supplier furnished equipment (SFE) meaning that it not only factory-fits the hardware to A320, A330 and A350 twinjets, but has overall responsibility to airline customers. In time, it will also offer HBCplus as a retrofit solution. The programme is groundbreaking in that it enables participating airlines to switch bandwidth suppliers without changing the linefit IFC hardware on their aircraft.

Airbus officially launched the programme in 2022, first naming Inmarsat (now Viasat) as a Ka-band MSP with its GEO-focused service offering, and later SES as MSP for multi-orbit MEO/GEO service, using a SPI terminal with ThinKom Solutions’ proven Ka2517 VICTS antenna as core. Since then, Emirates and Ethiopian Airlines have signed on as customers, tapping Viasat as their MSP. According to Airbus, many more customers are in the offing.

“[O]ur expanding catalogue of selected managed service provider partners — now joined by Intelsat and Panasonic Avionics Corporation — will deliver a fantastic customer experience for airlines’ Airbus family aircraft through lightning fast Internet in-flight,” assures Maximilian Ruecker, who serves as VP cabin procurement seats, IFE and electronics at Airbus.

Panasonic and Intelsat already enjoy linefit offerability at Airbus for their current Ku-band GEO IFC solutions as part of the airframer’s buyer furnished equipment (BFE) catalogue. Whilst Airbus still offers the BFE catalogue, it admits that its “energy and focus” is now on developing HBCplus SFE. In time, there will “a transition phase”, says Wuggetzer, noting that: “There is a clearly stronger demand on HBCplus.”

For Intelsat, inclusion in the supplier-furnished HBCplus programme means the ability to provide even greater choice to airlines.

“Understanding that no airline is like any other, Intelsat has long offered flexibility and choice to its customers, including fit-for-purpose equipment options, and a variety of business models and passenger service offerings,” says Intelsat senior vice president of commercial aviation Dave Bijur. “With Airbus, we are offering a new level of sophistication and flexibility that leverages the high throughput of GEO satellites with the low latency delivered by LEO satellites.”

For Panasonic, HBCplus “aligns perfectly with our multi-orbit strategy and will seamlessly integrate with our LEO and GEO connectivity solutions”, says John Wade, vice president of Panasonic Avionics’ inflight connectivity business unit. “We understand the needs of airlines and OEMs alike. By offering HBCplus we are providing airlines with a greater choice of connectivity services, and ultimately enhancing the passenger experience.”

RGN asked Airbus if there is any room for additional MSPs in the HBCplus programme. “Actually, I think we have an exciting offer, all SFE, a great choice, but we’re always open to improvement,” says Wuggetzer, noting that “if there is a need” and an interest on the part of airlines, “why not?” That flexibility is, however, largely on the MSP side, versus the linefit hardware.

Down the road, Airbus is also ultimately eyeing the possibility of offering a multi-band solution as part of HBCplus, but says it is currently focused on the priorities already announced.