Luxembourg, 17 July 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
Contact
Jason Bates
Media Communications Manager
Jason.bates@intelsat.com
+1-703-559-7044