Panasonic Avionics Corp. on Wednesday Dec. 18 announced an upgrade to its global broadband satellite network ahead of what the company anticipates will be a "milestone year for in-flight Wi-Fi installations."
The upgrade will bring a 50 percent uplift in capacity to Panasonic’s Global Communications Services on-board connectivity network. Panasonic is preparing to deliver 260 Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft into service with airlines in 2014.
Global Communications Services provides two-way broadband connectivity to an aircraft and supports carrier operations such as allowing flight crews to monitor and transmit airline operational data in real time.
Capacity has been increased through software upgrades to the network’s 22 satellite beams. The capacity boost was also supported by an upgrade to iDirect’s latest Evolution technology version 3.1 to increase bandwidth.
“The upgrade is perfectly timed and in place for what promises to be a monumental year for Panasonic. As 2014 comes to a close, we will have over 600 aircraft worldwide operating on our network, and this upgrade ensures that we will continue to deliver a true broadband experience to the crew and passengers for the foreseeable future.”