SES announced that it has established agreements-in-principle with a number of regional satellite network operators to initiate the SES Open Orbit Inflight connection (IFC) Network, which will allow airlines all over the world to enjoy seamless connection services. The geostationary earth orbit (GEO) and medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite networks of SES, NEO Space Group (NSG), a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), AeroSat Link (ASL), a subsidiary of China Satcom, and Hughes Communications India (HCI) will be combined into one fully interoperable Ka-band platform.
A global IFC service offering to airlines is what SES Open Orbits seeks to make possible for satellite operators with localized satellite coverage. With the backing of SES Open Orbits, an open architectural network, passengers will be able to seamlessly connect across the satellites of various parties by intelligently directing traffic from one interoperable Ka-band network to another. The global inflight connection network will supply resilient services, like high-quality video, data, and communications capabilities similar to those provided on the ground, by utilizing multi-orbit and multi-waveform capacity provided by regional connectivity service partners and SES.
“SES is enabling more satellite operators and inflight service providers to participate in the global market for inflight connectivity by leading the creation of SES Open Orbits using an open architecture that supports multiple orbits and multiple waveforms,” stated Elias Zaccack, Global Head of Aviation for SES. “SES Open Orbits is the inflight connectivity solution of the future, and airlines need to have it to set themselves apart and ensure the viability of their IFC offerings. It would enable airlines to provide the highest caliber in-flight connectivity services by enabling seamless roaming between numerous satellites and orbits.”
According to Philippe Carette, Head of PIF’s Aerospace Segment, “NSG is excited to be among the first global partners to join the SES Open Orbits inflight connectivity network. By combining SES Open Orbits with our satellite network spanning Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, we are raising the bar for in-flight connectivity and providing exceptional performance that far surpasses conventional industry standards.”
The majority of the world’s leading airlines place a high value on connecting flights over, into, and out of China and throughout the Asia-Pacific area. Vice President of China Satcom Yufei Shen stated, “China Satcom is really happy to work with SES to assist deliver a whole new level of inflight connectivity by utilizing our Ka-band network.
“Our high throughput network on GSAT-20 satellite over India will launch soon and will play a key role in the global SES Open Orbits aero network,” stated Shivaji Chatterjee, CEO, President, and MD of HCI. In order to help airlines employing this innovative, first-of-its-kind in-flight connectivity network guarantee the greatest possible passenger experience, we will also contribute our extensive experience in delivering end-to-end connectivity services across different verticals to our cooperation with SES.
