Business aviation’s “fastest L-band inflight connectivity service” will launch in the first half of 2023 from Inmarsat and Honeywell. The service, SwiftJet, is powered by Inmarsat’s ELERA satellite network and an upgraded Honeywell terminal.
“SwiftJet represents a real step change in what customers can do on the aircraft,” Kai Tang, head of Business Aviation, Inmarsat told Corporate Jet Investor at the EBACE event in Geneva. “What we previously offered, 432 kilobits per second [Kbps] , is the fastest L-band in existence for aviation. Now you’ll be able to do up to 2.6 megabits [Mbps] per second. This is six times more powerful than what was previously provided.”
The increased speeds that SwiftJet provides will give customers enhanced capabilities for video calls, web browsing, email, texting and cloud-syncing. Video applications which were previously challenging over L-band, such as Netflix and YouTube will also be accessible.
SwiftJet utilises hardware from partner Honeywell. Existing customers of Inmarsat’s Swift Broadband service will benefit from an upgrade path without needing to replace any externally-mounted aircraft equipment, while new customers will experience the same ease of installation as with any Inmarsat L-band terminal.
Adam Sheppard, director of Aircraft Connectivity, Honeywell Aerospace said: “With Inmarsat we have created a straightforward upgrade path for SwiftBroadband customers, giving them easy access to unprecedented internet speeds over L-band without having to change wiring or antenna hardware.”
Inmarsat already provides 4,500 aircraft with connectivity solutions that will immediately benefit from the new service. “A lot of those 4,500 aircraft have Honeywell kit onboard with an antenna and terminal. Next year, when we flip the switch and turn on the service for customers, they will have already had the opportunity to upgrade their Honeywell kit, which is a very fast, simple swap,” said Tang.
The capabilities of SwiftJet a rewards reaped from Inmarsats 40-year history in connectivity. Its origins as an U.N. directive to build a global maritime safety at sea service has allowed it to establish its ground and satellite infrastructure across the planet. “This service had to work exactly the same no matter where you were in the world,” Tang told CJI. “That is part of our DNA, and a part that helped build a global service that ensures end to end connectivity.”
“People hear a lot about satellites, but they should also think about how it all works together so they get a reliable, consistent service that is accessible anywhere, anytime,” he continued. Years of working with governments and international entities like the U.N enables Inmarsat to access technologies and build its infrastructure in numerous jurisdictions worldwide. “This is what allows customer to just turn their device on and it works. That’s really how it should be.”
The new service arrives as business jet connectivity becomes ever more valuable. In a recent survey conducted by Corporate Jet Investor Quarterly journal (hot sub link), in partnership with Inmarsat, 46% of respondents believe that having the same online access in the air as on the ground will become more important over the next 12 months.
As the latest addition to Inmarsat’s portfolio of business aviation inflight connectivity services, SwiftJet will be available alongside Jet ConneX (JX) and SwiftBroadband which have been activated on thousands of jets worldwide. All of Inmarsat’s services are powered by its ELERA satellite network
For Inmarsat’s director of Business Aviation, connectivity should always be a seamless process for the principal. Tang rounded off the interview at EBACE by saying: “I think our ethos is more ‘if we’ve done our job, then you don’t hear us abouts us’. The principal on the aircraft shouldn’t care how their laptop or streaming works, it should just feel like magic.”
