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Viasat and Deutsche Telekom Boost European Aviation Network In-flight Broadband Coverage in Mediterranean Sea

March 7, 2024

 Viasat, Inc.  and Deutsche Telekom, announced a ground network expansion for Viasat’s award-winning European Aviation Network (EAN) to further support in-flight broadband service in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. Set to meet growing demand from airline passengers, three new ground stations are now operating in the region to complement more than 300 ground network antenna sites already set up across Europe. These sites will provide enhanced capacity to EAN’s existing satellite coverage.

The enhanced capacity is particularly beneficial for passengers flying to and from Cyprus with the award-winning Greek airline AEGEAN. The airline launched its in-flight connectivity service, powered by EAN, in 2022 to enhance its onboard passenger experience; since early this year, AEGEAN is offering free Wi-Fi access to all its passengers.

To date, more than one million passengers have enjoyed the in-flight connectivity service since launch. The service is being installed on AEGEAN’s Airbus A320 and A321s, covering both existing aircraft and upcoming deliveries.

Shameem Hashmi, VP, Aviation Strategy at Viasat, said: “EAN continues to deliver a great in-flight connectivity solution for certain fleets operating in Europe and we’re proud to augment the satellite capacity for passengers travelling to and from Cyprus with AEGEAN. We’ve been thoroughly impressed by AEGEAN’s commitment to enhancing its passenger experience however possible. We know that reliable, high-speed broadband connectivity at 30,000 feet is crucial, and now, passengers travelling on every domestic route offered by AEGEAN can benefit.” 

Rolf Nafziger, Senior Vice President of Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier, said: “With Viasat, we launched the European Aviation Network with a vision to bring outstanding passenger connectivity to Europe’s aviation industry. It is amazing to see it grow from strength to strength in terms of customers and passenger usage. One of EAN’s key advantages for airline customers is that it’s future-proof as we can adapt and expand our ground network at any time based on actual requirements. We proved this a couple of years ago with the North Sea expansion, and once again now, when EAN’s latest customer AEGEAN had such a need, which we were able to fulfil together with Viasat and Deutsche Telekom’s subsidiary in Greece, Cosmote.”

Dimitris Gerogiannis, Chief Executive Officer at AEGEAN, said: “The cooperation with EAN is a significant milestone for AEGEAN as it enabled us to further accelerate our product and offer an enhanced and always connected in-flight experience. With this new infrastructure advancement, we can now offer the same seamless in-flight connectivity offered in all our network flights, also for the flights to and from Cyprus, that occasionally have faced some slower speeds. Offering high-speed connectivity to every passenger, on each of our flights, fulfils our promise to all passengers traveling with AEGEAN and I am really pleased that through our partnership with Viasat and Deutsche Telekom, we are able to keep you all connected in the air.”

EAN is a unique example of European technological and regulatory leadership, which allows travelers in Europe to benefit from an advanced in-flight connectivity (IFC) experience for most intra-European flights, including broadband services that support high bandwidth demanding applications such as streaming and real-time applications. EAN combines Viasat’s S-band satellite coverage with a network of complementary ground components operated by Deutsche Telekom.

The EAN service utilizes small, low weight and low drag terminals installed on an aircraft, enabling substantial cost savings while supporting sustainability initiatives.