 |
| Customer using Panasonic Avionics ZeroTouch software. Photo: Panasonic Avionics |
[Avionics Magazine 10-25-2016] In an effort to improve both airline operations and passenger connectivity, Panasonic Avionics has launched its ZeroTouch service. ZeroTouch gives airlines real-time visibility into performance, improves the efficiency of its maintenance operations and also enables data transfer of passenger-facing content to an aircraft to improve the passenger experience, according to a statement released by the company.
Panasonic’s ZeroTouch service will reduce an airline’s need to physically touch the aircraft because all interactions are managed through a virtual dashboard. By providing access to real-time passenger data, software, media and content updates can be data-driven, helping to deliver a relevant and personalized passenger experience. Updates will be sent to an aircraft via three high-speed pipes – Wi-Fi at the gate, aircraft cell modem, or even in flight using Panasonic’s global broadband eXConnect service.
Today Panasonic is in phase one of its ZeroTouch service initiative, and is already delivering payloads of up to 700 Megabytes to aircraft over cell modem and its eXConnect service multiple times per day. By the third quarter of 2017, Panasonic will enter a phase-two trial, which aims to leverage a more robust and more efficient core infrastructure and an enhanced management console. During this time frame, the company will also introduce the Enhanced Cell Modem (ECM) with advanced Wi-Fi capabilities that will open up a third communications pipe to the aircraft.
Full commercial availability including content, media and software loading as well as operational data offloading is expected to immediately follow the third quarter 2017 trial.