Panasonic Avionics

Panasonic Avionics has entered into an agreement with Eutelsat America (EAC), Eutelsat’s US subsidiary, to offer in-flight broadband connectivity services to aircraft flying high traffic routes spanning the west coast of North America, to Asia and down to Australia and the Pacific islands.

Eutelsat won the deal after a fierce competition, as a result of its decision to install a replacement satellite at a key strategic location on Panasonic’s global network, offering excellent orbital slot and frequency coordination.

As part of the partnership, Panasonic Avionics will use the network provided by the EUTELSAT 172B ‘High Throughput’ satellite, which is scheduled to launch in 2017.

High Throughput Satellites combine spot beams and high level frequency re-use to provide much wider bandwidth and faster data speeds as passengers browse the internet and use other online services.

In addition to this, they employ a broad overlay beam, which is used to economically deliver up to eight channels of live television to passengers in flight.

Eutelsat Chairman and CEO Michel de Rosen said that EUTELSAT 172B is ideally positioned to serve the rapidly growing in-flight connectivity market in this region, and the company welcomes Panasonic Avionics as an anchor tenant on this state-of-the-art satellite.

"Their long-term commitment to this location underscores its unmatched vantage point over a wide and underserved area spanning from the West coast of North America, to Asia and down to Australia and Pacific islands," de Rosen said.

The EUTELSAT 172B satellite will seamlessly integrate into Panasonic’s powerful network architecture tailored to the unique requirements of global aviation.

This capability will enable Panasonic to address the expanding connectivity market, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, and the ever-increasing demand for data services by passengers.

"This capability will enable Panasonic to address the expanding connectivity market, particularly in the Asia Pacific region."

Panasonic noted that the combination of its purpose built architecture and EUTELSAT will enable it to provide up to 200MB per spot beam – four times more bandwidth than its nearest competitor.

Panasonic Avionics president and chief executive officer Paul Margis said that demand for in-flight connectivity is increasing exponentially, especially in Asia.

"This agreement with a capable technology partner such as Eutelsat represents a continuation of our commitment to serve the aviation industry with the most capable and comprehensive connectivity solution available today and in the future," Margis said.

Panasonic Avionics is a supplier of in-flight entertainment and communication systems, while Eutelsat Communications is an operator of communications satellites.

Image: Panasonic noted that the combination of its purpose built architecture and EUTELSAT will enable it to provide up to 200MBper spot beam. Photo: courtesy of Panasonic Avionics Corporation.

Defence Technology