Global Eagle Entertainment has launched an all-in-one portable in-flight entertainment solution aimed at regional aircraft, which it says will enable large airlines to provide a consistent entertainment experience across their fleets and provide regional carriers with a low-cost IFE option.
The Airconnect Go video-on-demand system fits into the overhead bin, does not require installation, and streams content to passengers’ own devices through Global Eagle’s Airtime portal. It can be updated wirelessly through 4G/LTE cellular communications.
“When we thought about how to take entertainment to the broadest audience we realised we needed something for regional aircraft,” says newly-appointed Global Eagle chief executive Josh Marks. “Right from the moment the aircraft leaves the gate you can hook up to the wireless, log on to the airline portal and you’re presented with a selection of content you can stream.”
A key differentiator of Airconnect Go from competing wireless IFE products is that the hardware is bundled with entertainment products and management services, meaning that airlines are “not just buying a box”.
The system is “ready to go” and does not require a supplemental type certificate. “This is the retail launch and we have a number of customers who have expressed a strong interest,” Marks says.
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Global Eagle has undergone several recent changes – including the promotion of Marks to the role of chief executive earlier this month, replacing Jeff Leddy who will become executive chairman – and a $150 million capital injection from Searchlight Capital Partners.
Marks describes the management change as “orderly” and says the company has put past financial troubles behind it. Global Eagle was delayed in filing its 2016 annual earnings report with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
“We’re fully on track with all our reporting now – those issues were addressed. We’ve also raised a very significant amount of capital from a New York equity fund which demonstrates that we have the financial strength to thrive over the long term,” says Marks.
Global Eagle is taking a “technology-agnostic” approach, which includes an antenna that connects to either Ka- or Ku-band satellite services. Further down the line the company will “advocate a future of open architecture” that will encompass low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites when they come on stream.
“The industry recognises that future networks will be multi-ordered. We’ll need a system that can operate between geostationary and non-geostationary [satellites], based on available capacity,” says Marks, adding that Global Eagle will “manage the complexity of which network the capacity comes from”.
Source: Flight Daily News
