Thales and Honeywell together for Ka-band connectivity

The combined offering will give commercial airline operators and passengers four times the in-flight connectivity bandwidth currently available, enabling real-time TV channel viewing, social media connectivity, virtual office functionality and video conferencing.

“Inmarsat’s GX Aviation Ka-band satellite connectivity system is a game changer and continues our tradition of providing the commercial aerospace market with innovative, proven and reliable products,” said Jack Jacobs, Vice President, Honeywell.

“We expect that this connectivity system will provide airlines with significantly larger bandwidth at a cost-effective price.”

Stuart Dunleavy, Thales Avionics, VP of Media and Connectivity, said: “The GX Aviation satellite constellation will provide huge volumes of bandwidth and is optimised for mobile platforms that guarantee seamless satellite handover and global systems management, guaranteeing to enhance the passenger experience.”

Inmarsat's Global Express (GX) satellites are currently being built by Boeing at El Segundo, California and the first of the three launches is planned for Q3 2013.

When complete the three-satellite constellation will offer true broadband speeds of up to 50Mbps, although the actual figure will depend on factors such as antenna size.