Inmarsat has appointed Raytheon Technologies’ Collins Aerospace business as the latest global distribution partner for its new SwiftJet inflight connectivity service. Due to enter commercial service this year, Inmarsat said SwiftJet will offer the fastest ever speeds over L-band for the global business aviation market.
The agreement marks an expansion to the companies’ long-standing partnership. Customers can now talk to Collins Aerospace, along with their preferred installation providers and aircraft manufacturers, about SwiftJet price plans, service contracts, upgrade feasibility, and more. All this means the service’s advanced capabilities can be added to their fleet as soon as it becomes available.
Powered by Inmarsat’s ELERA satellite network, SwiftJet offers global coverage across flight routes and maximum speeds of 2.6Mbps, up to six times faster than Inmarsat’s existing L-band business aviation connectivity service, SwiftBroadband (SBB).
Inmarsat said SwiftJet will allow passengers to create a secure ‘office in the sky’, with enhanced capabilities for video calls, web browsing, email, texting, cloud-syncing, and collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams. It is also fast enough to enable social media and video streaming like YouTube, which Inmarsat said was previously challenging over L-band.
The service will use hardware that can be equipped on a broad range of aircraft, including smaller jets, and also supports cockpit and safety services. For thousands of existing business aviation customers using Inmarsat’s SBB service, there will be a seamless, natural upgrade path through minimal changes to the installed equipment. Inmarsat said new customers will also experience the same ease of installation as with any Inmarsat L-band terminal.
SwiftJet is the latest addition to Inmarsat’s growing portfolio of business aviation connectivity services, and will be available alongside SBB and Jet ConneX (JX) – a high-speed broadband solution powered by a global Ka-band satellite constellation and installed on more than 1,350 aircraft worldwide. Collins Aerospace is also a JX distribution partner.
“We know that our business aviation customers crave the certainty that quality inflight connectivity can provide, whether their passengers are working, streaming or video calling from 30,000ft,” said Kai Tang, Inmarsat’s head of business aviation. “We are thrilled customers can now talk to one of our most trusted partners, Collins Aerospace, about bringing SwiftJet’s ground-breaking capabilities onto their jets later this year.”
“We’re excited to be bringing Inmarsat’s innovative SwiftJet service to our business aviation customers, who we know crave reliable high-speed connectivity every time they fly,” said Nazeif Habboub, programmes director of business aviation services, Collins Aerospace. “SwiftJet speeds are set to far exceed what L-band can currently deliver, and will give our passengers more opportunities to run their businesses, be entertained, and stay connected to loved ones from the skies. Inmarsat’s global coverage and advanced capabilities offer a level of connectivity that can be achieved anytime, anywhere. We look forward to speaking to many of our business aviation customers about bringing SwiftJet’s innovation to their aircraft, and to seeing it take to the skies very soon.”
The capabilities of Inmarsat’s ELERA global satellite network are being further enhanced with the addition of two Inmarsat-6 satellites, both of which have already been launched and will support SwiftJet through the 2030s. The L-band capacity on each I-6 satellite will be substantially greater than Inmarsat’s 4th generation spacecraft, delivering 50% more capacity per beam in addition to unlimited beam routing flexibility.
