Aircraft

Panasonic secures airline commitment for eXconnect broadband system

By Mary Kirby

Panasonic Avionics has secured a commitment to equip an undisclosed operator's aircraft with its new in-flight broadband service, eXconnect, and expects to forge a number of other high-speed connectivity deals in the near-term.

While details of the new agreement have not been disclosed, Panasonic Avionics' director of strategic product marketing David Bruner told flightglobal.com's sister premium news service, Air Transport Intelligence, that the unidentified carrier is not a former user of Boeing's now-defunct Connexion service.

He says other potential deals are in the works, including with US operators, which could see eXconnect launch on board aircraft in the fourth quarter of this year or early next year.

The eXconnect system can be installed as part of Panasonic's in-flight entertainment platforms or on aircraft equipped with competing IFE systems, or as a separate broadband offering, says Bruner.

"We are now moving forward with regulatory requirements," he says.

Bruner says that while Panasonic is still prepared to accommodate former Connexion customers whose aircraft are equipped with the Mitsubishi Electric antenna system, the company is offering new broadband customers its eXconnect service using Starling Advanced Communication's Ku-band antenna system.