HAMBURG, Germany, Aircraft Interiors Expo Honeywell and Boeing have signed a technical services agreement to research and develop technolog...
Honeywell and Boeing have signed a technical services agreement to research and develop technologies for the next generation of high-speed, in-flight wireless connectivity on Boeing platforms including the 787, 777, 737NG and 747-8.
Under the agreement, Boeing and Honeywell will jointly research, test and develop the hardware, software and potential services that will utilize GX Ka-band satellites, powered by Inmarsat’s GX Aviation constellation, and begin the necessary activities to support GX Ka-band equipment installation aboard new aircraft in 2015.
GX Aviation will offer unprecedented data rates and bandwidth, backed by Inmarsat’s quality standards, performance and global reach.
It will provide the same experience as terrestrial broadband and is the only Ka-bandnetwork designed to provide consistent global coverage. Travelers will be able to do everything from real-time social media updates to video conferencing and multimedia presentation development while in flight, virtually anywhere in the world.
Beyond passenger comfort, the Honeywell-developed hardware and system for GX Aviation will also introduce new services to aircraft operators, airlines and air traffic control such as predictive maintenance and better aircraft communications that will take advantage of a fast, reliable and global connectivity service, essentially creating a truly “connected aircraft.”
Honeywell and Inmarsat signed an agreement in 2012 to provide global in-flightconnectivity services to business, commercial and government aviation customers around the world. Under the terms of the terminal agreement, Honeywell exclusively will develop, produce and distribute the onboard hardware that will enable users to connect to Inmarsat’s GX Aviation network.
The first Inmarsat GX Ka-band satellite, being built by Boeing, is expected to launch in late 2013, and Inmarsat and Honeywell continue to track toward making global service available for commercial, business aviation and government customers in 2015.
