Some business aircraft operators opt for SatCom systems with mechanically steered antennas hidden on vertical fin radomes because they perceive them to be more aestheti- cally pleasing than electronically steered, phased-area an- tennas patched onto their aircraft fuselages. All GEO SatCom IFCs have relatively long, 700-mil- lisecond signal latencies because they’re parked 19,300 nm above the Earth’s surface. The lag can degrade the performance of video confer- encing apps or mobile phone VoIP connectivity, but it’s only a minor inconvenience when downloading or up- loading large files. KA-band equipment and service fees are pricey, so it’s best suited to large cabin business aircraft and Air- bus, Boeing, and Embraer bizliners. Avionics typically cost $350,000 to $750,000, and monthly subscriptions run $10,000 to $20,000 depending upon speed and data quantity. The equipment and a variety of plans are available through Viasat’s partners, including AirSatOne, Collins Aerospace/ARINCDirect, Honeywell Forge, and Satcom Direct. KA-band IFC is impressively capable, but it has its limitations. As with KU-band SatCom, it’s subject to rain attenuation of its signals. And there are still no protected bands for aero safety services. For FANS1/A, operators still will need L-band SatCom, either as provided by Inmar- sat GEO satellites or with the Iridium constellation.
THE FUTURE GETS BRIGHTER Just when the skies have become crammed full of Sat- Com IFC satellites, Amazon announced plans to launch two beta-test Project Kuiper space vehicles in Septem- ber. The pair will be the first in Kuiper’s planned 3,236 LEO satellite constellation that will orbit the globe at 270 nm. Half will be launched by mid-2026, and the full system will be operational in mid-2029. Similar to Starlink, Kuiper will use both KU- and KA- band frequency bands, intending to provide 100 to 400 Mbps connection speeds and latency times of as little as 20 milliseconds. Amazon has not yet announced any plans to offer an aviation-grade SatCom system, but if it were to do so, marketplace competition would increase substantially. IFC revenues from commercial jets and business aircraft reached $5.96 billion in 2022, and they are expected to grow at 8.4 percent until 2030, according to San Francisco-based Grand View Research. With such demand growth and with so many new IFC providers expected to enter the market, equipment costs, connection speeds, and subscription costs are likely to become considerably more attractive. In mid-2022, FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel set a goal of providing a minimum 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload connection speeds to U.S. consum- ers on the ground. It appears that several companies in the aviation industry are racing to match that ambitious benchmark, as well. [
Viasat’s current KA-band GEO constellation provides powerful spot beams covering the main routes flown by business jets. Its upcoming Viasat-3 network will include 95 to 99 percent of all likely flight plan routes.
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