Trend: Connectivity

Alphabet Shutters Loon Venture

Alphabet, parent company of Google, is shutting down Loon, its subsidiary dedicated to providing broadband from balloons in the stratosphere. Loon CEO Alastair Westgarth announced the news in a Medium blog post on Jan. 22. Loon had begun providing High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) ballon-powered Internet services to users in July of last year, and had announced plans to […]

Will the 5G FAST Plan Lead to Spectrum Issues for Aircraft?

The demand for 5G technologies that boast improved speed and reduced latency is quickly growing. In response to this demand, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is pursuing the Facilitate America’s Superiority in 5G Technology (the 5G FAST Plan) as their strategy for implementation. The 5G FAST Plan includes opening up what is known as the […]

Free Internet is a Must: El Al Airlines Tal Kalderon Talks IFC and Airline COVID-19 Recovery

El Al Airlines is the national airline of Israel, and has been running strong since 1948. But with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting every corner of the world, the airline — like many others — has had to ground flights and change its way of operating. Many airlines have considered moving to a free In-Flight Connectivity […]

SpaceX Undertakes Review of Systems, Including Avionics, for Assured Launch

SpaceX is undertaking a system-wide review of Falcon 9 rocket to help ensure that the company can meet its goal of assured, more affordable access to space. The review came after an unexpected pressure rise in the rocket’s turbo machinery gas generator scrubbed the scheduled launch of the fourth GPS III satellite on a SpaceX […]

Aerion Makes Supersonic Avionics, Connectivity Progress for AS2

New design progress and supplier agreements for avionics, flight controls and connectivity have the AS2 supersonic business jet on track for type certification by the mid to late 2020s, Aerion COO Steve Berroth told Aviation Today in a recent interview. Aerion’s latest development update for its 8-10 passenger jet designed to fly at a max […]

Loon Outlines Future Vision of More AI-Powered HAPS Connecting Remote Internet Users

Alphabet’s Loon is already providing its High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) commercial internet services to Kenya, and the company’s continued expansion of its autonomous balloon network at 60,000 feet will serve as a blueprint to others already working on similar and related plans for that airspace and concept of operations. Resembling balloons or sometimes taking […]

Compatibility and Standards Key to Introducing New Aviation Spectrum Applications in US

The introduction of new wireless applications and services for communications, navigation and surveillance on aircraft flying within U.S. airspace will require some unique decision-making and collaborative spectrum sharing and re-purposing by government and industry stakeholders, according to experts featured on the Aug. 19 Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) webcast “Spectrum: Generating Change in Aviation.” […]

Researcher Demonstrates Satellite Eavesdropping on In-flight Passenger Internet at Black Hat 2020

Oxford PhD candidate and cybersecurity research James Pavur, along with a team of European experts, used about $300 in home television equipment and specialized software to enable “satellite eavesdropping” on in-flight passenger Internet data, as Pavur presented at Black Hat 2020 on August 5. Pavur stressed that the tactics used by his team were nothing […]