Aircraft fitted with Viasat’s hybrid S-band satellite/air-to-ground (ATG) inflight connectivity solution in Europe could soon roam into SkyFive’s ATG networks in Saudi Arabia and beyond under a new agreement between the two firms.
“I can confirm Viasat and SkyFive have agreed to develop a solution which will allow aircraft equipped with Viasat’s European Aviation Network (EAN) air-to-ground inflight connectivity system to connect to SkyFive networks, and vice versa, enabling SkyFive-equipped aircraft to access Viasat’s EAN network,” a Viasat spokesman confirms to Runway Girl Network.
“There are no special hardware or software changes required for current EAN customers to roam onto SkyFive’s networks,” he adds. “However, the service must comply with local and regional regulations and the software needs to be configured to operate within the wider coverage area.”
What this means for airlines and passengers is that “continuous inflight connectivity coverage from all of Europe to Saudi Arabia and beyond” is expected to be facilitated, noted SkyFive on LinkedIn.
“With over 500,000 flights annually between Europe and the Middle East, demand for staying connected while flying between the two regions has never been higher. Now, thanks to this new collaboration, passengers on equipped aircraft will be able to enjoy seamless broadband Internet access on flights lasting seven hours or more, a great solution for fleets in Europe and the Middle East.”
SkyFive is not new to the IFC market or indeed to the EAN, which was built by Deutsche Telekom and Inmarsat (now Viasat). The German firm acquired Nokia’s air-to-ground assets in 2019, after Nokia served as a key technology partner on the EAN, and it continues to support the network.
But beyond the EAN, SkyFive has commercialized its own ATG inflight connectivity product (dubbed A2G) and trialed it on SAUDIA in Saudi Arabia, in partnership with local telco stc (Saudi Telecom Company). During an interview with RGN last year, SkyFive management highlighted the benefits of providing contiguous coverage for the entire EMEA region, hinting, perhaps, at what was to come.
Viasat’s own dance with the European Aviation Network is a fascinating one. It once engaged in legal battles with Inmarsat over EAN’s launch, arguing that the ground portion of the network was supposed to be complementary to the satellite, and not the primary means of transmitting data. But when it acquired Inmarsat on 31 May 2023, it also picked up Inmarsat’s EAN business, including several airline customer contracts for the hybrid solution.
Putting EAN customers at ease, Viasat and Deutsche Telekom — which operates the EAN’s LTE-based ground network — in November 2023 forged a long-term agreement, committing to support IFC for airline partners across the network. A few months later, Lufthansa Group carriers Austrian, Lufthansa and Swiss announced they will bring EAN-powered inflight connectivity to 150 narrowbodies, with equipage expected to start this quarter.
Now Viasat and SkyFive are poised to enable expanded coverage for those EAN operators which configure the software to facilitate roaming onto SkyFive networks and indeed vice versa.
Related Articles:
- Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss tap EAN connectivity for 150+ narrowbodies
- Once an EAN adversary, Viasat cements commitment to hybrid network
- EAN inflight connectivity astounds on Aegean A321neo
- SkyFive advances A2G connectivity projects in EMEA, elsewhere
- Eclipse Technics scales to EAN-sized challenges
- SkyFive emerges with ATG proposition featuring local telcos
Featured image credited to istock.com/Eoneren Note: All the world map textures are originally from NASA.
