What happens in Vegas…
Shouldn’t just stay in Vegas (for the most part)! We visited NBAA-BACE in October to get the latest updates on cabin connectivity in business aviation in preparation for our upcoming report – “The Market for In-Flight Connectivity in Business Aviation 2026”. Below are some of the key headlines that we think are worth sharing:
- Viasat sizes up a new way to measure connectivity: iQe (experience over speed)
Since acquiring Inmarsat in 2023, Viasat has had the task of integrating the Global Xpress (GX) and Viasat Ka-band networks, whilst positioning its GEO product amidst the entrance of LEO constellations from Starlink and OneWeb. At last year’s NBAA-BACE, the company announced JetXP, representing an enhanced experience achieved through uncapped speeds and prioritisation of business aviation customers across the combined Ka-band infrastructure. Viasat also worked closely with hardware manufacturer and service provider, Honeywell, to produce next-generation terminals (namely, JetWave X) that can connect to both networks simultaneously to increase the capacity available to each aircraft, so customers can expect to see even better performance in the future.
The satellite operator is so confident in the consistency and quality of its improved connectivity offering, that it introduced its “In-flight Quality of Experience” (iQe) concept that seeks to measure connectivity, not by peak download speeds, but rather, by overall passenger experience. From early 2026, JetXP customers will be able to access iQe and assess their on-board connectivity by receiving an experience score derived from measurements of speed, jitter, latency, terminal availability and other factors. The scoring system is designed to improve customer awareness and satisfaction by providing a benchmark against which subjective experience can be measured, enabling action to be taken where necessary. Scoring information will also help Viasat work towards its goal of providing consistently good connectivity across an entire journey, and the company hopes it will serve to differentiate itself from LEO competitors that often attract customers with promises of peak speeds alone.
2) Honeywell’s JetWave X is moving from product reveal to OEM deals
Very soon, we can expect Viasat’s business aviation customers to access improved connectivity through Honeywell’s JetWave X terminal which has won line fit deals with large cabin jet OEMs, Gulfstream, Bombardier and Dassault. The terminal will be available in the aftermarket initially before being integrated into production aircraft on a number of large cabin jets from each of the OEMs. As mentioned, this terminal connects to both Viasat and ex-Inmarsat Ka-band networks and is also dual polarity configured, a factor that will significantly increase the amount of data that can be transmitted to and from the aircraft. This terminal is the only one of its kind, other antennas on the market, like Gogo’s Plane Simple Ka-band, only connect to the GX network. Thus the JetWave X’s launch represents an important milestone in the integration of the two distinct networks for Viasat.
Seeing a new GEO-only terminal announced as a future line fit option on multiple airframes is, itself, an interesting and somewhat surprising development. When LEO first came on the scene, it wasn’t entirely clear whether we would see a new mechanically-steered antenna feature in any new contracts, especially given the hype surrounding Starlink. However, Starlink has yet to crack the line fit market (though, as discussed below, it is still hugely popular in the aftermarket). While it’s likely that these larger aircraft will come off the factory line with two systems installed, one GEO and one LEO, indicating that it’s not really an either or situation, these announcements further signal that the business aviation market may be harder to take over than a certain Mr. Musk had initially thought.
3) Gogo continues to iterate on multi-antenna/LEO solutions and STC approvals
The latest player to enter the market – and the second LEO Ku-band network operator – Eutelsat OneWeb, was exhibiting alongside its exclusive service provider partner, Gogo, which recently acquired Satcom Direct. The newly combined company was keen to showcase the breadth of its expanded portfolio, with both the GEO Ku-/Ka-band Plane Simple series and Galileo LEO Ku-band antennas on display.
The latter was certainly the main attraction, and it was interesting to compare the compact half duplex (HDX) and larger full duplex (FDX) Galileo antennas. Seeing the HDX atop Textron’s Cessna Ascend also put the compact form factor into perspective, showing how these new electronically-steered antennas (ESAs) differ from the tail-mounted mechanically-steered antennas that have dominated the market for the last decade. The HDX is about half the size of the FDX and also considerably smaller than Starlink’s standard ESA, which may help Gogo win over operators of smaller aircraft, or those concerned with aesthetics.
The HDX and FDX also represent a clear upgrade pathway for Gogo’s existing customers with legacy air-to-ground (ATG) hardware that needs to be replaced before the end of the year as the 3G Gogo Biz network is being sunset at the end of 2025. The main announcements from the service provider highlighted the progress made with STCs –Galileo now has STCs for over 24 frames (and counting) including popular aircraft such as the Bombardier Challenger 600 series, Dassault Falcon 2000 family and select Boeing Business Jet models which were new additions announced at the show. As a result of its growing availability, the firm has now shipped 150 ESAs in total, doubling the 77 tally from the end of Q2 and has won new customers like Vista which has agreed to fit its 270 jets with the solution by mid next year.
4) Starlink’s strong presence and customer outreach did not go unnoticed
Starlink has come a long way since its unattended booth at AIX in 2024. Its exhibit garnered a lot of attention and the company had the personnel to address potential new customers. The general feedback from our discussions was that MROs are still being inundated with requests for Starlink by name, particularly in the US. While the network operator has been surprisingly quiet on the line fit front it, like Gogo, announced several new STCs for aircraft such as the Embraer Praetor 500/600 and Legacy 450/500, and Textron’s Citation Latitude and Longitude jets. Gulfstream also announced that it has completed 100 installations of the solution, which is quick progress given the OEM only obtained its first Starlink STCs this time last year.
Despite expectations of an imminent release, Starlink has yet to produce a smaller aviation-specific terminal, or certified the Starlink Mini. The Mini has proven popular among general aviation customers and smaller jet owner/operators, costing only a few hundred dollars and small enough to mounted to the cockpit window (though this is a risky set up as we were told repeatedly). Even so, many continue to use it, and these customers were delivered a blow when Starlink announced it was reducing the maximum aircraft speed for its Roam, Local Priority and Global Priority plans linked to the Mini. The threshold has decreased from 471 to 391 knots (550mph to 450mph) and affected users are encouraged to transition to the company’s aviation solutions.
However, the difference in Roam – which costs $165 per month for an unlimited service – and Starlink’s aviation plans – which cost a minimum of $2,000 a month – may cause some customers to shift to other economical connectivity options, one being ATG.
5) SmartSky returns to the market as Apcela
After announcing its purchase of the SmartSky ATG network at NBAA 2024, Apcela relaunched the network and began offering its connectivity service just a couple of weeks before this year’s show. The firm is working on capturing customers with smaller jets and turboprops based in the US – of which there are thousands.
Apcela’s booth was sat right next to Starlink’s – on purpose of course, so that Starlink customers could see a potential complement to the LEO solution, ATG! A Starlink-Apcela setup would directly compete with Gogo’s Galileo+ATG bundle, though it’s not entirely obvious that LEO customers require ATG as a redundancy option. Starlink’s performance is sufficient enough for most customers meaning a LEO-only set up is sufficient. Others that want full global redundancy are those with larger jets and larger budgets who will surely opt for GEO Ku-/Ka-band to fall back on.
However, the firm may find success in its other strategy which is to compete for the nearly 2,000 jets still equipped with Gogo’s legacy ATG solution (those that haven’t upgraded to AVANCE and still use ATG 1000, 2000, 4000, 5000 or 8000 hardware which connects to the soon-to-be-sunset Gogo Biz network). As mentioned, these need upgrading in the next couple of months which is no easy feat! Given the finite production of Gogo’s AVANCE ATG shipsets and the tight time constraints involved, Apcela may have gone live just in time to win over a share of these aircraft. There may also be some disgruntled Starlink Mini customers to win over as well.
What’s more, its position as a lower-cost option in a sea of more pricey and high-performing GEO/LEO connectivity is seemingly paying off – Apcela announced two new fleet wins with Skyward Aviation which will install the system on eleven jets, and Jet-Ten which will do the same on eight jets, by early next year. The company has a so-called Sign and Fly initiative that includes very low interest finance options and rebates to appeal to more cost-conscious aircraft owner/operators.
The show comes to a close
Across the conference hall, exhibitors demonstrated a desire to show customers that they understood the future of in-flight technology lies in seamless, measurable, and unified systems that enhance both efficiency and passenger experience. How this is achieved in practice will be explored in Valour Consultancy’s brand new report, “The Market for In-Flight Connectivity in Business Aviation 2026”, coming next year. Interested parties can also still purchase this year’s report, here, for an industry-leading analysis of the market.
