In spite of challenging market conditions, a considerable number of new airlines have launched during 2021. Many are embracing aircraft digitalisation to get passengers flying again. Valour Consultancy examines some of the recently announced airline technology partnerships. The COVID-19 pandemic still looms large over the commercial aviation sector, with many airlines now looking to 2022…
Two weeks ago, Inmarsat unveiled its plans for Orchestra, a new communications network. According to the company’s press release, it will seamlessly integrate GEO, LEO and terrestrial 5G for mobility applications. My colleagues, Joshua Flood and Craig Foster, recently published their own thoughts on the implications of Inmarsat Orchestra for the maritime and business aviation…
Long read: Two companies building on very different foundations now find themselves in a fight for supremacy within Smart Shipping. How do their maritime IoT offerings differ? Senior maritime analyst Joshua Flood takes an in-depth look… KVH offers a smaller maritime IoT commitment allowing crew communication and data transfer which may be very attractive to…
Following on from its unveiling of ORCHESTRA a couple of weeks ago, Inmarsat yesterday revealed a key component of the new multi-layer solution, an enhanced L-band network called ELERA. Given its heavy focus on Ka-band over the last few years and the fact that ORCHESTRA also represents the firm’s first move into the low-earth orbit…
The mobility satellite industry is abuzz with the news that the Marlink Group (Marlink) could soon be acquired by Providence Equity Partners. This development is not unexpected, given that news of Marlink being up for sale has been one of the worst kept secrets in the industry. In late 2020, rumours emerged from the deep…
Having completed its acquisition of RigNet on 30 April 2021, Viasat can look forward to achieving its stated aims of expanding and diversifying its commercial connectivity portfolio, while adding complementary technology. The expected benefits of the Viasat RigNet acquisition include: Enhancements to Viasat’s sector expertise Expansion into adjacent industries New customer base Infrastructure service New…
Covid-19 has had a remarkable impact on consumer behaviours. In this article, we consider the impact of accelerating digital trends on the IFC Business Model. Can airlines pursue a simple approach to in-flight connectivity? Background A pandemic-fueled 18 months has given rise to an undeniable acceleration in the way people go about their daily lives.…
In-flight duty free revenue has been in decline for some time with a number of high-profile airlines such as KLM, American Airlines and Qantas having ditched the service in recent years. In a study conducted by the Duty-Free World Council and published by APEX, researchers found in-flight sales fell from 7.3 per cent of total…
Over the last few months, the topic of smart shipping and the various purposes of maritime IoT has been receiving increased media attention. A key point to remember is these terms mean different things to different people within the shipping ecosystem. I will attempt to shed some light upon these….The uses of smart shipping technology…
As part of a continued effort to enhance the quality and value of our research services, we’re proud to announce a partnership with airline intelligence provider ch-aviation, merging its extensive fleet database with our In-Flight Connectivity and Entertainment (IFEC) data. This collaboration enables our IFC and IFE quarterly tracker subscribers to bolt-on tail-level fleet and…
One thing is certain within the maritime industry, smart shipping has arrived. However, what most people will think is “What is Smart Shipping?” We look at the latest trend in ship digitlisation. After speaking to range of different players in the ecosystem; I will endeavor to try and provide some understanding of this. Smart shipping,…
A new report from award-winning provider of market intelligence services, Valour Consultancy, suggests that wireless in-flight entertainment (W-IFE) will be installed on almost three-quarters of the global narrow-body fleet by 2030, up from just over a third today. The report, “The Future of in-Flight Entertainment – 2021 Edition,” shows that although wireless in-flight entertainment installs…