AirFi LEO brings together the expertise of three companies: Iridium, SKYTRAC and AirFi.
In simple terms, Iridium provides access to its network of low-Earth orbit satellites; SKYTRAC produces the antenna that connects to the satellites; and AirFi brings the solution together with its portable AirFi box to offer airlines a way to keep passengers connected and entertained onboard. We got representatives from each of these companies together – Job Heimerikx, AirFi’s CEO; Jan Van Der Heul; VP Sales at SKYTRAC; and John Peterson, VP Aviation at Iridium – to discuss the compelling business case presented by AirFi LEO.
AirFi LEO’s unique selling point is that, in Heimerikx’s words, it is “minimally invasive.” Unlike other connectivity solutions, its installation doesn’t require a hole to be drilled in the aircraft’s fuselage. Instead, the antenna sits in the windowpane, which means it’s quick and easy both to install and to remove.
The installation process may be novel, but the products and services that enable AirFi LEO have years of proven reliability behind them. Peterson explains that the Iridium Certus platform is already being used as part of “6,500 maritime systems every day,” and he’s excited to see it disrupt the aviation market. Furthermore, SKYTRAC is an AS9100-certified company, with quality standards that have been perfected over many years.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that an innovative new solution from a group of well-established companies comes at a high cost to airlines, but AirFi LEO can deliver 90% of all functionalities that make up an airline’s business case for IFC at around 10% of the cost of traditional Ku- and Ka-band offerings.
“We developed a zero-capex structure together with Job to speed up adoption. We were able to do that because of our scale at SKYTRAC, because we have an existing customer base and an existing volume of data going through our system,” comments Van Der Heul.
In a nutshell, AirFi LEO is innovative, cost-effective and reliable.