EMS Launches Iridium E-Mail System

EMS SkyConnect is launching an Iridium e-mail product for business aviation, looking to squeeze every bit of connectivity power out of a small Iridium pipe.

The Forte AirMail System, an 8-pound system that encompasses a wireless access point, antenna and transceiver, is designed for Wi-Fi-enabled SmartPhones and BlackBerries and will allow passengers to stay connected via e-mail and voice while in the sky, according to a company briefing Monday at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) conference in Orlando. 

The system won't allow for robust Web surfing, but tests have shown that up to 10 users can send and receive e-mail simultaneously using the system, according to Stephen Silverman, general manager of EMS SkyConnect, based in Takoma Park, Md.

“This system will work on everything from a Beech Bonanza to a (Boeing Business Jet),” Silverman said. The company is working on amending a supplemental type certificate and expects to begin deliveries of the system in early 2010.