Anuvu has announced a renewed partnership with Norwegian Air Shuttle which includes Anuvu upgrading the fleet’s currently-installed IFC hardware with its Dedicated Space technology. (Photo: Norwegian Air Shuttle)
Norwegian Air Shuttle recently renewed its partnership with Anuvu to continue their 12-year-long collaboration. Norwegian is set to become the first customer outside of North America to equip its entire fleet with Anuvu’s Dedicated Space technology.
The Dedicated Space solution, first deployed in 2022, distributes capacity dynamically to passengers based on need. Both existing Boeing 737 NG aircraft and Norwegian’s new 737 MAX will have their existing hardware upgraded.
Nancy Walker, SVP Commercial, Aviation Connectivity at Anuvu, commented on the news in an interview with Avionics International, saying that it’s not simply a renewal of their existing partnership. “There’s so many new aircraft coming into their fleet. It’s really a big win for us because of the size of the new aircraft,” she said. “Norwegian has been a longtime partner of Anuvu, and we’re thrilled to continue that partnership.”
Anuvu’s Dedicated Space technology received a Crystal Cabin award last year for the category recognizing excellence in IFC and digital solutions. According to Walker, this award was a factor in Norwegian Air Shuttle’s decision to renew its partnership with the company. Anuvu used Dedicated Space “to deliver high throughput to aircraft and dedicate specific channels to each aircraft so that they’re not having to share,” she explained.
Norwegian’s equipment onboard its existing fleet was relatively easy to replace, and it wasn’t necessary to remove a lot of hardware, Walker noted. This enabled the company to leverage capital that they already invested in the aircraft.
Another factor in the partnership renewal was that Anuvu’s team deeply understood the goals and the culture at Norwegian Air Shuttle, and they had developed close ties with each other throughout the long-term partnership. “Of course, you can have all the culture and people that you like, but if you can’t give them what they need for their passengers that will carry them forward for years, you’re not going to win,” she added.
Anuvu’s strategy of designing systems to meet the needs of their customers sets them apart from others in the in-flight connectivity market. “Other competitors look at things like, ‘What assets do I have on my books right now that I have to find other users for? How can I make what I have available? How can I get the airline to shift what they need to match what I have to offer?’”
“We look at it the other way: How can we take what the customer wants and design a custom solution for them?” Walker shared. “As the largest lessor of satellites in the mobility space and the fact that we are dedicated to mobility, we uniquely understand those things and can really hear what our customers need.”
“I think it’s the customization that we offer airlines to meet their needs, our ability to knit together exactly what they need in terms of satellite capacity and coverage, that also sets us apart—and our look at using hybrid solutions. What do we offer today, how can that be used in the future, and how do we take LEO, GEO, MEO, and knit them all together to meet the needs of the customer?”
Anuvu is launching its first two MicroGEO satellites from Astranis Space Technologies soon. (Photo: Anuvu)
Anuvu announced earlier this year that, to support development of its constellation, it will lease ground-station infrastructure and antennas from Telesat. Anuvu is also working with MicroGEO satellite builder Astranis Space Technologies on deployment of its all-digital GEO constellation.
Norse Atlantic Airways began featuring in-flight entertainment supplied by Anuvu last year. Southwest Airlines has also invested in Anuvu’s in-flight connectivity network, putting $2 billion into upgrades for its in-service Boeing 737 fleet. New orders will all have Viasat’s Ka-band IFC service installed.