Panasonic Avionics Corp., based in Lake Forest, Calif., on Monday announced a strategic agreement with Deutsche Telekom which designates Deutsche Telekom and its T-Mobile brand as the preferred wireless internet service provider for Panasonic Avionics’ in-flight Global Communications Suite.
Panasonic’s Global Communications Suite provides high-speed broadband internet, data and voice communications services to passengers and crew, using a GSM or Wi-Fi-enabled device. Under the terms of this new agreement, Deutsche Telekom will manage the internet gateway and handle passenger billing and customer support for Wi-Fi services. In addition, Deutsche Telekom will provide marketing and promotional support to drive utilization of the services.
“We believe that the T-Mobile brand offers the perfect complement to our Global Communications Suite,” said Paul Margis, CEO of Panasonic Avionics. “By combining these T-Mobile advantages with the unique connectivity capabilities of our Global Communications suite, Panasonic and Deutsche Telekom have the potential to offer airline passengers and crew an unmatched experience in broadband internet, data and voice communications.”