Following an 18-month period of field testing with system integrator GDC Technics, Inmarsat has selected ThinKom’s low-profile Ka-band Ka2517 phased-array antenna for its GX terminal and associated in-flight broadband services.
The Ka2517 will serve as a critical enabling technology underpinning Inmarsat’s GX Aviation broadband satellite in-flight connectivity (IFC) solutions, including the new GX+ North American IFC service announced by Inmarsat and Hughes Network Systems earlier this year.
ThinKom’s low-profile radome minimises drag and reduces fuel usage. The VICTS antenna provides industry-leading spectral efficiency and throughput, as well as uninterrupted pole-to-pole connectivity at extremely high and low elevation angles. In addition, the antenna’s very low power consumption translates into very low heat generation inside the radome, enabling uninterrupted gate-to-gate operation even during high ambient temperatures with full solar loading.
“The Ka2517 antenna fully complies with new regulatory requirements, including WRC-19 EISM and ITU Article 22, ensuring non-interference with terrestrial 5G cellular networks or with GEO satellites when being used on NGSO networks,” said Bill Milroy, Chairman and CTO of ThinKom Solutions. “It also offers the switching speeds and agility to interoperate seamlessly with new multi-layered GEO, HEO and NGSO satellite networks.”
GDC’s next-generation IFC terminals with ThinKom’s antennas have received a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) on Boeing 737-700 aircraft. GDC has planned a full range of STCs in early 2021 for the Airbus A320 family, additional 737 models, and Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft.
