Satcom1 (Stand 632), with headquarters in Denmark and represented in the Middle East by a regional sales office in Dubai, is highlighting a number of recent advances here at MEBA, including becoming a hardware re-seller for the first time through an agreement with Honeywell.

In addition Satcom1 has updated its AvioPhone application to allow passengers to use their personal iPhone and Android phones without the need for a picocell system. The phone works directly with an aircraft internet connection and can make and receive calls to and from ground phones in the same way as it would on the ground, complete with caller display. At present U.S. and European phones are supported, and the system is undergoing beta testing. The AvioPhone update is to be released commercially in the first quarter of next year, by which time it will support all phones.

Satcom1 has also introduced a new cabin billing system that allows inflight charges to be passed directly to passengers through an Internet log-in system, freeing charter operators from having to invoice customers for WiFi services. The system can be switched on or off, giving operators the flexibility to provide for long-term charters and VIP customers who require unhindered access.

Meanwhile, the company’s R&D team in Paris is pursuing another avenue of development. Using the innovative Aggregation technology that uses multiple SwiftBroadband channels to increase data speeds, Satcom1 has demonstrated data transfer rates of up to 1.4 Mbit per second using four SwiftBroadband channels. Aggregation of three channels is planned for inclusion in the AvioIP 2.6 software due for release early next year.

Next year the Inmarsat Jet ConneX (JX) service is due to go live, offering high-speed WiFi and the ability to video-conference inflight. In preparation for this Satcom1 has signed a deal with Honeywell to resell the U.S. company’s JetWave Ka-band hardware. In May the companies signed an agreement under which Satcom1 will act as a channel distributor of airtime for business aviation. The tie-up with Honeywell, which is the exclusive hardware manufacturer for JX, allows Satcom1 to continue to offer a full spectrum of satellite communications solutions.