LONG BEACH, Calif., - Airbus in Toulouse, France, needed a satellite communications provider for its Airspace Link HBCplus flight connectivity technology. They found their solution from Panasonic Avionics Corporation in Lake Forest, California. HBCplus is Airbus’ high bandwidth connectivity solution that will be offered as a line-fit catalogue or retrofit option on all its aircraft programs.
As Airbus' selection as a managed service provider (MSP) for HBCplus, Panasonic Avionics will be able to integrate its multi-orbit connectivity service, a blend of low Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO) satellite constellations, onto Airbus aircraft, using an electronically steered antenna (ESA) with a multi-beam operation that can simultaneously access Panasonic Avionics’ LEO and GEO networks.
Panasonic Avionics’ in-flight connectivity services utilize the company's global network of high-speed, high-bandwidth satellites, and have been selected by more than 70 of the world’s leading airlines.
Latency, the responsiveness of a network which impacts all activities online, is reduced on LEO to below 100 milliseconds, delivering a more responsive in-flight connectivity experience to passengers when connected to this satellite constellation. Panasonic Avionics offers OneWeb’s global service stand-alone or paired with its GEO service, which covers 99.6% of the world’s flight routes.
"HBCplus aligns perfectly with our multi-orbit strategy and will seamlessly integrate with our LEO and GEO connectivity solutions," John Wade, Vice President of Panasonic Avionics’ In-flight Connectivity Business Unit, said. "We understand the needs of airlines and OEMs alike. By offering HBCplus we are providing airlines with a greater choice of connectivity services, and ultimately enhancing the passenger experience."
"Airbus’ vision is to make state of the art IFC technology available to its customers while offering the best choice of connectivity providers," Maximilian Ruecker, VP Cabin Procurement Seats, IFE and Electronics for Airbus said. "As such we are pleased to be able to include Panasonic Avionics as a player in this program. We are looking forward to continuing to enrich this cooperation."
