SkyLogis, ViaStat Launch Web Service

The affiliate of a French satellite company is partnering with satellite communications provider ViaSat, of San Diego, to provide broadband communications to business jets flying over Europe, the companies said.
Skylogis, the broadband affiliate of Paris-based Eutelsat Communications, said the new service has been selected by ARINC, provides users with European coverage through Ku-band capacity on Eutelsat's Atlantic Bird 2 satellite. The “D-Star” aeronautical service supplied by ViaSat and Skylogic provides business aviation passengers with office-in-the-sky communications, including access to e-mail, the Internet, Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), fax over IP (FoIP) and corporate intranets. On-board access to users through laptops is provided via a Wi-Fi hot spot installed inside the aircraft. The service supports aircraft-to-ground data rates of 128 to 256 kbps and ground-to-aircraft data rates up to 3.5 Mbps. The full avionics system weighs less than 20 kilograms (44 pounds), including a circular, tail-mounted antenna, which fits on larger business aircraft including Gulfstream GIV, GIV-SP, G400, GV, G500, G550, Cessna Citation X, Dassault Falcon 900, and Bombardier Global Express and Challenger jets. More