LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 18, 2018--
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I), operator of the world’s first Globalized
Network and leader in integrated satellite solutions, announced that it
has joined the Seamless Air Alliance, a consortium dedicated to the
development and promotion of standards to facilitate a better, more
seamless, inflight connectivity experience for passengers.
The standards would eliminate the immense costs and hurdles commonly
associated with acquisition, installation, and operation of data access
infrastructure by streamlining system integration and certification,
providing open specifications for interoperability. More importantly, it
would empower mobile operators to extend their services into airline
cabins and airline passengers to board any flight on any airline
anywhere in the world and use their own devices to automatically connect
to the Internet, with no complicated login process and no paywall to
scramble over.
“When boarding a plane for business or leisure, passengers want fast and
easy access to high-quality, reliable broadband connectivity,” said Mark
Rasmussen, Vice President and General Manager, Mobility. “That is why
Intelsat continues to build a strong ecosystem of partners that will
leverage 3GPP standards to create a seamless, global broadband
infrastructure that offers airlines and passengers a consistent,
uninterrupted experience. By joining the Seamless Air Alliance, Intelsat
continues to take a leading role in shaping a global network that
leverages different technologies and constellations. As the exclusive
channel partner for OneWeb’s mobility applications, Intelsat looks
forward to collaborating with OneWeb, existing partners such as Gogo and
other network operators, to develop the standards needed to provide a
seamless operational and passenger experience in the skies.”
With satellite serving as the primary means to connecting aircraft,
Intelsat will contribute in the integration of geostationary and
low-Earth orbit satellite solutions into the hybrid network and help
define standards, test equipment and develop service packages focused on
the aeronautical market.
“We are very pleased to have Intelsat join and contribute its breadth of
experience to creating a better passenger experience for airline
customers everywhere," said Jack Mandala, Chief Executive Officer of the
Seamless Air Alliance. "Over the next 90 days our Working Groups will
develop and draft deliverables that will shape the future of in-flight
connectivity, and having Intelsat participate in that process is
incredibly valuable."
About Intelsat
Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) operates the world’s first Globalized Network,
delivering high-quality, cost-effective video and broadband services
anywhere in the world. Intelsat’s Globalized Network combines the
world’s largest satellite backbone with terrestrial infrastructure,
managed services and an open, interoperable architecture to enable
customers to drive revenue and reach through a new generation of network
services. Thousands of organizations serving billions of people
worldwide rely on Intelsat to provide ubiquitous broadband connectivity,
multi-format video broadcasting, secure satellite communications and
seamless mobility services. The end result is an entirely new world, one
that allows us to envision the impossible, connect without boundaries
and transform the ways in which we live. For more information, visit www.intelsat.com.
About the Seamless Air Alliance
The Seamless Air Alliance was founded by Airbus, Airtel, Delta, OneWeb,
and Sprint to usher in a new era of in-flight connectivity that will
delight passengers and enable open innovation inside the cabin. Its
mission is to develop standards for connectivity that will amaze
customers, to enable airlines with better customer engagement
opportunities and industry to develop the technologies needed to extend
Mobile Operator relationships from gate-to-gate anywhere in the world,
and to build standards that can be used by solution providers to deliver
end to end services to passengers. The alliance – which invites all
industry operators to join - will eliminate the immense costs and
hurdles commonly associated with acquisition, installation, and
operation of data access infrastructure by streamlining system
integration and certification, providing open specifications for
interoperability, increasing accessibility for passengers, and enabling
simple and integrated billing. To learn more about the Seamless Air
Alliance, and how to become a member, please visit us at www.seamlessalliance.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180718005479/en/
Source: Intelsat
Intelsat
Jason Bates
Media Communications Manager
+1-703-559-7044
Jason.bates@intelsat.com