Airbus and Tenzing achieve breakthrough in low-cost airborne email

Airbus and Tenzing today unveiled the next step in their evolutionary approach to inflight internet access, announcing the successful completion of the first full-scale test of Tenzing email services using the INMARSAT  Swift 64 service over a standard high-gain L-band SATCOM antenna. This demonstrates to the airlines a scaleable, reliable and affordable systems solution for passenger email and Internet access.

"Passengers will pay even less for in-flight email access because of this key  communication system enhancement," said Alan McGinnis, Chief Executive Officer of Tenzing. "It also will enable us to offer premium services such as live web browsing, VPN support and access to corporate networks."

The system combines hardware and software from Airbus, Rockwell Collins, and Tenzing. It uses an aircraft's existing high-gain SATCOM antenna and  available worldwide coverage, making it affordable for airlines to deliver both email and live Internet services to passengers. More than 1800 aircraft  worldwide are installed with this type of SATCOM antenna. The solution is designed to support short, affordable retrofits, making it possible for airlines to equip their entire fleet in mere months. It can also be upgraded to new generations of the high-speed data link with minimal impact.

"Rockwell Collins supports the emergence of connectivity in the global air transport market," said Jan Timmers, Rockwell Collins managing director of  Airbus. "This is a great step forward in providing e-mail and Internet services onboard aircraft." "The AFIS system with Rockwell Collins high speed data solution and Tenzing passenger messaging service uses the existing  L-band SATCOM infrastructure, which means it is inexpensive to install, provides a low cost option for end users and has global coverage today,"  said Olivier Andries, Senior VP Products and Services Policy of Airbus.

The A318 aircraft used for the demonstration is equipped with the Airbus in Flight Information System (AFIS) hosting Tenzing's email software  connected to the ground network. Connectivity was provided using the INMARSAT Swift64 service to transmit messages at 64 kbps over Rockwell  Collins' SAT-906 SATCOM system and HST-900 high-speed data transceiver. Several major airlines have expressed interest in the system, which is now  available for installation.

In addition to passenger applications, the AFIS system will host applications targeting the airlines' operational needs, which will take advantage of the  high speed Swift64 data connection to the ground.