Mobile end users in aviation and maritime said at the LEO Digital Forum that LEO is the technology they have been waiting for. Air Canada Director of In-Flight Digital Entertainment and Wi-Fi Norman Haughton said the airline invested in Electronically Steered Antennas in 2015 with LEO in mind: “We are an airline that flies over the poles. There are severe coverage gaps for customers flying to China, Hong Kong, India and others. The minute LEO comes available as a technology for us to utilize, we will jump on that course.” He emphasized lower latency as key for the in-home experience passengers increasingly expect.
Aeromexico In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity specialist Daniel Iriarte said the airline wants greater understanding of LEO economics: “We would like to see cost-effective models. We want to get to know more about LEO constellations and how they will be involved in these services.”
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Maersk Head of Mobility and Connectivity Klaus Bruun Egeberg said flexibility will be critical: “We want flexibility and the ability to take in new technologies at the pace at what we want.” He said Maersk expects to start exploring LEO the following year as it refreshes satellite equipment across its fleet.
OmniAccess CEO Carlos Carbajal was enthusiastic about LEO for yachting but cautioned against hype: “We saw something similar a few years ago when Ka-band started to proliferate. People get the buzzwords, but misinterpret capabilities. We need to set expectations.”
Speedcast VP of Engineering Operations Will Mudge said LEO aligns with 5G customer experiences: “We are seeing a year-over-year doubling in demands for capacity.” VS
