Global connectivity provider Inmarsat has successfully launched its Jet ConneX wi-fi service, enabling owners of high end business jets to stream data at up to 50 MB per second. “It is fair to say that wi-fi is a chief concern of business aviation customers,” says VP of business and general aviation Kurt Weidemeyer. “Since 2008, Inmarsat has provided internet connectivity to over 4,000 business jets with our SwiftBroadband service. All of our customers are saying the same thing: they love SwiftBroadband, it is reliable and it works everywhere in the globe but they need more speed.

“The response to this is Jet ConneX. Depending on what type of hardware you put on the aircraft, you can get speeds around 50 MB per second, whereas with SwiftBroadband you can get up to 432 KB per second. That is a big difference: over a hundred-fold increase in speed. Everything that customers are asking for you get with Jet ConneX: speed, reliability, and global coverage.

“Inmarsat owns all of its satellites. When customers travel from Hong Kong to London they experience the same connection speeds at every stage of the journey.”

Jet ConneX speeds are able to accommodate live TV and streaming. Inmarsat has different data packages depending on what applications or services you want to use. In the case of an ACJ or BBJ, a fuselage-mounted antenna can generate up to 50 MB per second. In a Global or G650 a tail-mounted antenna can achieve over 30 MB per second, but many packages are in the 5-10 MB range. In that range it is possible to support Netflix streaming, as it is on the ground.

“Since our Jet ConneX service offers guaranteed speeds, big corporations now want to do high definition video conferencing,” Weidemeyer continues. “In the past, an HD conference call was a risky endeavour because you need to send high quality video off and into the aircraft. But now we can manage it.”

More than 40 STC programmes are due this year to get Jet ConneX off the ground. “It is probably going to be the biggest launch we have ever had,” explains Weidemeyer. “Our first OEM Jet ConneX STC was with Bombardier for its Global 5000 and 6000 fleet and our first aftermarket STC was for a Boeing 757. Soon another major OEM will announce its STC programme, and two other OEMs are in discussions as we speak.

“Our partner Honeywell is exclusive provider of the Jet Wave hardware and it is doing a tremendous job supporting installations.”