Inmarsat

Since its introduction in 2016, Inmarsat Jet ConneX (JX) Ka-band offering for business aviation has been the gold standard for global broadband connectivity. Can you give an overview of the current JX-equipped fleet and typical passengers’ usage?

Since entering commercial service in November 2016, Jet Connex (JX) has established itself as the gold standard of inflight connectivity (IFC) in the business aviation market and remains the preferred linefit option of all major business jet manufacturers, including Gulfstream, Bombardier and Dassault. Today, JX has been activated on more 1,350 business jets, offering the same reliable, consistent and high-speed broadband that principals are accustomed to on the ground. This is in addition to more than 4,000 business jets equipped with our other aviation connectivity solutions, such as SwiftBroadband and Classic Aero for safety.

Interestingly, JX has achieved record usage since the pandemic – testament to the fast-growing expectations of passengers when it comes to staying connected. Now, principals can enjoy a digital onboard experience that supports an ‘office in the sky’ as well as video streaming, live TV, and more – all of which have grown in demand significantly since the pandemic.

The adoption of business aviation has accelerated since the pandemic amongst High-Net-Worth Individuals

(HNWs) and corporations – with IFC being a key driver. Taking time that was ordinarily ‘in the dark’, without connection to direct their business affairs, principals can now run meetings, and make important decisions in realtime, and importantly maintain the same levels of productivity, all from 30,000 feet

The results from our latest business aviation survey, released last year, revealed a tipping point in business aviation. Connectivity is no longer a nice-to-have – it is essential. Over three quarters of respondents (87%) believe business aviation has evolved from a luxury asset into a business asset in its own right.

Meanwhile, Inmarsat’s Passenger Survey 2022 found that the majority of business travellers (92%) are more likely to rebook if quality Wi-Fi is available

In an increasingly crowded market with new entrants either promoting cheaper plans or claiming super headline speeds, JX delivers certainty. After decades of experience, we know customers want and expect consistent performance anywhere, anytime and differentiated value adds that our partners provide to ensure the best end-to-end customer experience. Not only do we have a track record of meeting customer demand, as the only operator with a minimum speed commitment we can guarantee the delivery of a highly reliable, seamless service for our customers.

2022 was a busy year for Inmarsat business aviation service offering with the announcement of the JX Evolution program at EBACE 2022. Can you give us an overview of this program?

Inmarsat prides itself on having unique insights into demand for inflight broadband, and how it is transforming for business and leisure. We can therefore develop our solutions ahead of any market shifts and reassure customers that as their needs continue to develop, so does the connectivity that we provide.

JX Evolution is about evolving the offer as we see our customers’ needs changing over time, rather than carpetbombing maximum speeds that will degrade over time. The JX Evolution programme is being developed following an extensive assessment of passenger usage trends and delivers superior speeds, performance and value for money. We’ve already upgraded a number of existing service plans as part of the programme to provide benefits such as increased upload rates at no additional cost. This meets growing demand for high-definition video conferencing on platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Every now and then, we will see an immediate need to provide a higher speed plan that will consistently deliver the Inmarsat experience customers expect. A prime example of how we can quickly react to that is the launch of JX Edge, which is the first of the JX Evolution series of advanced, high-end service plans. Now available through Inmarsat’s global network of business aviation distribution partners, JX Edge went live with several customers around the world in October 2022 after receiving a highly positive market response, and will be followed by additional new service plans this year

JX Evolution is setting an unprecedented new standard for business aviation IFC by leveraging Inmarsat’s global Kaband satellite network and Honeywell’s JetWave terminal. JX customers will also soon benefit from further performance enhancements with seven more Ka-band satellite payloads entering service over the next few years, increasing the network’s total fleet to 12. The current JetWave terminal will be supplemented by three upcoming next-generation terminals developed with our partners Satcom Direct, Orbit and Honeywell, which are compatible with a wide range of business jets. They each use cutting-edge technology optimised for business aviation installations – with fewer LRUs and next generation modem technology – which help to reduce costs and simplify the installation and maintenance processes.

This is a prime example of our unique build-up approach, which cannot be replicated by others and presents a welcome alternative to the over-promising and underdelivering of some connectivity providers. The gamechanging programme will provide even greater value and performance at a crucial time for business aviation, with flight volumes now higher than before the pandemic.

We have seen several new-generation terminals from Inmarsat’s partners, designed not only for high-speed connectivity performance but also bringing lightweight and simplified architecture. Do you foresee these terminals enabling JX Ka-band offering to extend to more aircraft types?

We realise that creating superior solutions like Jet ConneX takes more than just our own expertise. Collaborations with a trusted ecosystem of partners also plays an important role and provides our customers with more choice and flexibility tailored to their needs. It will also enable more super-mid sized aircraft to access our JX offering.

As a result, customers of both JX and SwiftJet, our upcoming business aviation inflight connectivity service over L-band, have a selection of terminals to choose from according to different aircraft types

Focusing on the JX Evolution programme, Satcom Direct, Orbit, and Honeywell are developing next-generation terminals. The terminals are designed to be compatible with the widest range yet of business jets, using cuttingedge technology and lightweight designs to optimise performance, reduce costs and simplify the installation and maintenance processes.

In January, Satcom Direct completed the installation of the Plane Simple Ka-band antenna for JX on the company’s Gulfstream G550. This terminal consists of only two line-replaceable units (LRUs) – the tail-mount antenna and SD Modem Unit. Other key features include a modern lightweight design and simplified wiring to enable quicker and easier installation and maintenance. The terminal has been designed specifically to fully exploit all of the future capability being delivered by Inmarsat to match current and future connectivity needs in the business aviation market. As well as offering enhanced performance to the existing JX enabled airframes it will also open up JX to other airframes, particularly the super mid-size jet segment.

Following Satcom Direct’s PSKA terminal, Orbit’s AirTRX30 terminal is also progressing towards type approval on our global Ka-band satellite network, which powers JX. The advanced system is compatible with a wide range of business jets, from super mid-size to large cabin platforms, and includes only two Line Replaceable Units (LRUs), consisting of a modem manager (MODMAN) and tail-mounted antenna. A variant is already in wide use by the military on our GX (Ka) satellite constellation, so we’re excited to bring such an established antenna OEM to business aviation customers. The simplified architecture is optimised for efficient installation and weight savings, which in turn also helps to reduce its environmental impact.

The AirTRX30 builds on patented Orbit aperture designs that are already used by our government customers and will also be compatible with our upcoming Ka-band satellites, being launched over the next few years.

SwiftJet, meanwhile, uses advanced hardware from Honeywell, which can be equipped on a broad range of aircraft – and also supports cockpit and safety services. It will offer speeds up to six times faster than our existing Lband business aviation connectivity service, SwiftBroadband (SBB).

Existing SBB customers will benefit from a natural and seamless upgrade path through minimal changes to the installed equipment, while new customers will experience the same ease of installation as with any Inmarsat L-band terminal. The service also enables new capabilities and applications like YouTube and FaceTime for thousands of our customers using SBB, which have previously been restricted to basic voice or text connectivity that fails to meet the needs of modern-day business travellers.

Two Inmarsat-6 satellites are scheduled to enter service in 2023 and will support SwiftJet well into the 2030s and beyond, The L-band capacity on each of these sixth-generation satellites will be substantially greater than the fourthgeneration spacecraft and, among other enhancements, will deliver 50% more capacity per beam in addition to unlimited beam routing flexibility.