ViaSat to Provide In-Flight Connection for JetBlue

JetBlue Airways plans to offer in-flight broadband connectivity using ViaSat satellites and equipment, starting in 2012, the companies said. Many details are still being worked out, but ViaSat’s role marks a new stage for the company, which concentrated on the satellite equipment business before buying WildBlue last year. WildBlue will be the network operator of the service, an industry executive said.

FCC approval of mobile satellite services in the Ka-band may be needed before the offering becomes operational, the executive said. Mobile service is already approved for Ku-band and L-band, where most satellite services offering in-flight connectivity operate. Inmarsat, which recently announced the purchase of three Ka-band satellites from Boeing is also seeking FCC approval for mobile services in the band. FCC approval of the antennas for the system also is needed, the executive said. And certification of the system by the Federal Aviation Administration is needed before full fleet installation because the product will be the “first of its kind for commercial aviation,” said the companies.

A memorandum of understanding between the companies deals with broadband connectivity for more than 160 JetBlue aircraft, they said. JetBlue said it will use ViaSat Ka-band antenna components and modems on two of the airline’s Embraer E190 and Airbus A320 planes. The airline said its LiveTV unit will run the system’s integration. The system will use ViaSat-1 satellite, scheduled for launch next year, said ViaSat. The network will also be able to use the WildBlue-1 satellite, which is at full capacity on the East and West coasts but has availability in between, said the spokesman. The service isn’t expected require a huge amount of satellite capacity, and no agreement has been reached on the availability of capacity, said the spokesman. It’s unclear whether JetBlue will charge for the service, he said.

The deal isn’t ViaSat’s first involvement in the in-flight broadband business. The company provided equipment for Boeing’s unsuccessful Connexion service and the surviving Yonder service for private planes, which ViaSat runs with KVH. The new venture offers better service than Connexion’s, because it will use a network made for mobile services rather than satellites built for fixed satellite services mainly in the broadcast industry, the spokesman said.