Thales and SES
deliver Ka-HTS
aviation
connectivity
solution over the
Americas
Thales
announces two
milestone agreements
with SES, the
world’s leading
satellite operator.
With these
agreements, Thales
will offer airlines
and their passengers
FlytLIVE, the most
efficient inflight
connectivity
experience over the
Americas. FlytLIVE
by Thales will start
operating mid 2017
using in-orbit
satellites.
To meet the
needs of a growing
market, SES will
procure a new
satellite
specifically
designed for the
needs of FlytLIVE
and manufactured by
Thales Alenia Space
to be launched in
2020. The
satellite’s
architecture is
based on Thales
Alenia Space’s
all-electric version
of the Spacebus NEO
platform, the
highest performing
satellite in the
global connectivity
market.
FlytLIVE by
Thales, a simple and
seamless
connectivity
solution for
airlines, with
unmatched
performance for
their passengers:
With FlytLIVE,
passengers will
enjoy full Internet
services including
video streaming,
games, social media
and live television,
creating an
immersive and
engaging experience
in the air.
Airlines will
take advantage of
Thales’s full
end-to-end solutions
including products
such as the modular
antenna and
multi-frequency
radome, in-cabin
Wi-Fi and portal
platform. The
offering also
provides bandwidth
and session
management, content
delivery,
operational support
tools, line
maintenance and
turnkey service and
support with high
Service Level
Agreements.
How it will be
delivered:
FlytLIVE services
will use the SES
unsurpassed
connectivity network
of Ka-band
High-Throughput
Satellite (HTS)
services optimized
for airlines who
want the best
connection speeds
for their customers.
Thales InFlyt
Experience, Thales
Alenia Space and SES
specifically
developed the
network and
satellite
architecture for the
unique connectivity
requirements of
commercial aviation
customers resulting
in better services,
more efficient
operations and cost
savings. SES will
operate the
satellites and the
ground network. The
services will be
ready for airline
and passenger use by
summer of 2017 and
will be provided by
two satellites that
are currently
in-orbit.
The third satellite
in the network to be
launched, SES-17,
will be optimized
for the fast-moving
aviation and
mobility market over
the Americas. It
will provide new
Ka-HTS bandwidth
over this region to
meet current and
future speed,
coverage and quality
expectations of
crowded skies and
increasing passenger
service demands as
regional airline
passenger traffic is
forecasted to nearly
double by 20301.
The satellite will
be equipped with
close to 200 spot
beams of mixed size
for more flexible
allocation of
capacity over
high-traffic airline
routes and
field-of-view beams
to enable the most
efficient delivery
of Internet, live
broadcast television
and real-time
content delivery.
SES-17 will cover
North America, South
America, Central
America, the
Caribbean and the
Atlantic ocean. The
network will provide
substantial gains
over today’s
broadband
connections,
ensuring ultra-high
speeds, capacity,
coverage and
quality.
“Thales works
together with its
customers to help
drive digital
transformation
across a broad range
of sectors; whether
it be aviation,
ground
transportation,
aerospace, defence
or security. Through
this partnership
with SES, and by
leveraging Thales
Alenia Space’s
expertise, we are
developing a
satellite uniquely
optimized for the
fast moving aviation
and mobility market.
This will enable us
to offer airline
customers, a simple
and seamless
connectivity
solution with
unmatched
performance.”
Patrice Caine,
Chairman and CEO,
Thales Group
