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Satcom Direct, a business aviation solutions provider, signed an agreement with Stellar Blu Solutions, a supplier of satellite communication technology. Stellar Blu chose Satcom Direct as a service provider for executive airliner customers using the Stellar Blu Sidewinder product line. The announcement was made today at MEBAA in Dubai.
The Stellar Blu fuselage-mounted, electronically steered array (ESA) terminal was designed to retrofit executive airliners to support a full suite of connectivity services. Satcom Direct will be in charge of both selling and activating the airtime, customer service and cybersecurity monitoring.
There are additional value-added services associated with airtime plans for Sidewinder terminal customers and the multi-network terminal will support connectivity to the Ku-band airtime network. This includes the OneWeb LEO constellation, with which Satcom Direct has a prior relationship.
Stellar Blu chose to partner with Satcom Direct because it has a history and reputation for supporting the military, government, VVIP and head-of-state heavy jet connectivity solutions. This new addition to the terminal equipment will enable more narrow jets to harness the benefit of a fuselage-mounted antenna.
Satcom Direct has a consistent and reliable performance record for heavy passenger loads and is bolstered by the Sidewinder terminal and the OneWeb network. This history will ensure video conferencing, remote command and control and other applications are optimized with reduced latency.
"We have successfully developed our advanced technology SD Plane Simple® terminal series to meet the increasing and diverse connectivity demands of small to large jets," Satcom Direct COO Michael Skou Christensen said. "Adding the Stellar Blu Sidewinder solution to the portfolio complements the series and gives even more choice for our executive airliner customers. The versatility of the SD eco-system of software, hardware, and ground infrastructure enables customized solutions to meet the specific missions of these elite heavy jets."
"We are also integrating added value by enhancing the turnkey solution through collaborative integration of software tools for improved insight into end-to-end connectivity performance," Christensen said. "Our open architecture system is a force multiplier in harnessing the power of the service. We can share aircraft performance data, connectivity usage and management data information to improve service quality, streamline operational efficiencies and augment the customer experience."
Stellar Blu will begin an in-service evaluation of the Sidewinder ESA terminal in Q2 2023. Following the evaluation, a full suite of STCs is anticipated for Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer airframes. The ESA terminal is currently being type-approved on the OneWeb network. Customers may expect high-speed broadband connectivity to run on missions, including routes in polar regions, before the end of 2023.
"The Sidewinder terminal is redefining the performance and total cost of ownership for SATCOM systems for this class of aircraft," Stellar Blu CEO Tracy Trent said. "SD is motivated to enhance the overall solution performance in which the SATCOM equipment is part of the value chain."
"We're looking forward to working with them to help our customers optimize the capabilities of our antenna, including its unprecedented speed, latency and lowest carbon footprint, with SD's Ku services offered by OneWeb," Trent said.
"Connectivity has become an integral part of any business aviation itinerary, and nowhere is this more vital than within the VVIP and government sector," Head of Business Aviation at OneWeb Jason Sperry said. "OneWeb's low earth Orbit satellite connectivity will enable the use of the tools and applications passengers require. Together with Satcom Direct and Stellar Blu, we are looking forward to bringing game-changing connectivity to the VVIP market."