ViaSat threw down the gauntlet to its growing list of competitors yesterday with an insistence that no other in-flight connectivity provider comes close to matching it on capacity, cost or speed.
Speaking to Flight Daily News, ViaSat vice-president and general manager commercial mobility Don Buchman said: “No one has matched what we did four and a half years ago with JetBlue.” He claims that ViaSat is the only supplier capable of providing widespread streaming services that still work over congested hubs, noting that “doing streaming is not the same as doing streaming at scale”.
This fighting talk is unsurprising given the cut-throat nature of the highly-competitive in-flight connectivity market, where multiple suppliers offering multiple types of connectivity are jostling for positive headlines and greater market share.
ViaSat is not making any specific announcements during the show but is preparing for its second satellite, ViaSat-2, to enter commercial aviation service this summer.
The launch carrier for ViaSat-2 connectivity will be either American Airlines or El Al – equipment has been made available to both carriers but it is not yet clear which one will be first to tap into the new satellite.
Now that aircraft have started to be equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi, the industry is moving towards taking full commercial advantage of the connectivity pipe and the personalisation and targeted marketing opportunities it presents, says Buchman.
Passengers will increasingly search for airlines that offer in-flight connectivity before booking, and free Wi-Fi will top the list of requirements, Buchman says.
“We’re already seeing this. Passengers have the choice of many airlines and lots will choose to have a flight that has good connectivity that’s free,” he says. “Only 6-7% of the flying public is happy to pay for it”.
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Source: Flight Daily News
