A decision by global air transport communications and IT company SITA to exit the cabin inflight connectivity business will impact Wi-Fi availability on select All Nippon Airways (ANA) widebodies, the carrier has revealed.
In a statement announcing plans to offer free Wi-Fi for business class passengers and in time free texting for premium economy and economy passengers on select international flights, ANA says the current onboard Internet service offered on six 202-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft will be suspended on 31 May 2024 “due to the withdrawal of the inflight Internet supplier, SITA, from the business”.
It also reveals that the inflight Internet supplier for three 212-seat Boeing 777-300ER aircraft “will be changed and the service will be launched as soon as it is ready”.
ANA has long pursued a dual-source approach to inflight connectivity. The lion’s share of its connected aircraft are now powered by Panasonic Avionics’ Ku-band satellite-supported broadband IFC solution. However, SITA’s lower bandwidth ‘OnAir’ service is aboard the cluster of 767s, and ANA started bringing SITA’s higher-bandwidth offering to select 777-300ERs in 2019.
But as exclusively reported by RGN last year, SITA is withdrawing from the cabin IFC business, setting a final service exit date of 31 January 2025. The company is a longtime value added reseller and integrator for both Inmarsat-now-Viasat SwiftBroadband (SBB) L-band and Global Xpress (GX) Ka-band satellite-supported aero connectivity services in the cabin.
Its exit from cabin connectivity comes as the commercial IFC landscape is consolidating and rapidly evolving. Viasat, for instance, completed its acquisition of Inmarsat last year.
Runway Girl Network sought additional color from ANA about its plans. A spokesperson for the airline says the carrier will keep the current GX hardware on the three 777-300ERs and simply change the aero ISP from SITA to a direct relationship with Inmarsat-now-Viasat.
“ANA is planning to replace the current B767-300ER SITA (SBB) to new IFC system. Further details for the new IFC will be released later,” says the spokesperson.
ANA, meanwhile, assures that complimentary inflight Internet access will be available to business class passengers on select international flights starting this summer. Texting will be available free of charge to premium economy and economy class passengers on international flights by the end of the fiscal year, March 2025.
“ANA is dedicated to continuously elevating our customer experience, and the additional Wi-Fi enhancements that will be utilized for personal or business purposes is the latest offering for our passengers,” says Tomoji Ishii, ANA’s executive vice president, customer experience management and planning.
“Our ongoing efforts to expand inflight services is to provide our customers with an even more enjoyable and connected experience onboard.”
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Featured image credited to: istock.com/Boarding1Now
