Rockwell Collins Aligns with Inmarsat for In-Flight Connectivity

Inmarsat and Rockwell Collins have announced a new collaboration to bring high-speed connectivity onboard more aircraft by making Rockwell Collins a Value Added Reseller of Inmarsat’s GX Aviation connectivity offering.

GX Aviation will offer connectivity speeds of 50Mbps with near world-wide coverage, and enable real-time TV, video-on-demand along with standard internet applications such as emails and web browsing to the Rockwell Collins In-Flight Entertainment product.

“This service brings new possibilities for our ARINC Cabin Connect offering that go far beyond what’s available today, including expandable bandwidth that will give passengers the same connectivity experience they have in their home and office, and the capability to accommodate future devices and applications,” said Jeff Standerski, senior vice president, Information Management Services (IMS) for Rockwell Collins.  “By combining GX with our current L-Band services, we’ll also be able to provide our airline customers with a complete portfolio of connectivity options for a full range of applications from the cockpit to the cabin.”

Inmarsat indicates that GX Aviation will be the only global commercial Ka-band network providing consistent high-speed communications coverage around the world.

“This agreement builds on and extends our working relationship with Rockwell Collins – in both avionics and services – that started more than 20 years ago,” said Leo Mondale, President, Aviation at Inmarsat. “Our Ka-band solution enables us to meet the rapidly growing demand for passenger connectivity.” 

The first of the three initial GX Aviation satellites is in orbit and Inmarsat has planned the next two launches in time to introduce GX services globally by the end of the first half of 2015.  The airborne hardware for GX Aviation is produced by Honeywell Aerospace, is now undergoing the process of certification and is expected to support the launch of the service in 2015. 

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