China’s Qingdao Airlines has begun serving passengers with an in-flight entertainment and connectivity service, based on Gilat Satellite Networks’ Taurus aero modem.
The service is provided by China Satcom, over CS-16 Ka-HTS satellite together with its partner China TDT LINK (contents/service provider to passengers). The whole Ka-band IFEC system was integrated by Chinese system integrator FTS, who received the relevant STC/VSTC early this year and retrofitted on the aircraft.
“Gilat is proud to have been selected by our long-term partners China Satcom and FTS, and most pleased with the joint effort of integrating our proven IFC modem, Taurus, to enable opening of the Chinese skies for broadband connectivity,” said Yuan Si, China Country Manager for Gilat. “Gilat views China as a strategic focus area, and this success marks yet another important landmark in Gilat’s vision of enabling plentiful quality affordable broadband connectivity everywhere. We look forward to continued collaboration with our strategic partners, to jointly reap the benefits of this multi-million-dollar China IFC market.”
