Satellite communications company Viasat and Deutsche Telekom will be expanding the a ground network for Viasat’s European Aviation Network (EAN) to further support in-flight broadband service in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.
Viasat says that three new ground stations are now operating in the region to complement more than 300 ground network antenna sites already set up across Europe, providing enhanced capacity to EAN’s existing satellite coverage.
This will benefit air passengers flying to and from Cyprus with Greek airline AEGEAN which launched its EAN in-flight connectivity service in 2022 and offers free Wi-Fi access to everyone on board.
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.”
