Pivotel and SkyFive to bring high-speed Internet to the skies of
Australia
Leading rural
and remote communication solutions provider Pivotel has announced plans
to make Australia one of the first countries after the European Aviation
Network (EAN) to truly experience broadband connectivity in the sky.
Pivotel has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) with SkyFive, a specialist inflight connectivity company located in
Germany, to undertake a detailed technical evaluation and proof-of-concept trial
of SkyFive’s Direct-Air-To-Ground (DA2G) solution.
The partnership will see Pivotel deploy a DA2G
network powered by Nokia’s eNodeB and NEC’s iPasolink Microwave technology,
providing coverage to an area of around 50,000 square kilometres between Dubbo
and Sydney. The trial will also include Flightcell’s onboard terminal,
showcasing how the combined technologies can revolutionise the air traveller
experience, inflight operations and enable a wide range of practical data-intensive applications for public safety
aviation.
Until now, providing consistent, fast, and
affordable low-latency broadband connectivity for commercial airliners, private
aircraft and helicopters has been a huge challenge. Traditional cellular
networks are ground-facing and not optimised for airborne operation, while
satellite-based solutions provide limited bandwidth at slower speeds with
expensive data.
SkyFive’s DA2G land-based mobile networks and
services are optimised for aerial coverage, addressing the specific technical challenges
associated with altitude and speed. They provide data speeds of up to 100 Mbps,
with less than 50 milliseconds of true end-to-end latency, providing an
entirely private and secure service dedicated to airborne aircraft, while also
offering the ability to integrate with services on the ground at airports or
heliports.
Stakeholder engagement has already begun with a
number of commercial airlines and agencies expressing interest in participating
in the trial, including the Royal Flying Doctors Service (South Eastern
Section). The service will provide users with access to high-speed and secure
connectivity to their private networks, while also allowing Internet-based
real-time applications to be utilised, such as streaming high-definition video,
transmitting critical patients biometric data to hospitals, plus a wide range
of other data driven services.
Peter Bolger, CEO of Pivotel, said: “We are
delighted to announce Pivotel’s partnership with SkyFive for this pilot-study,
and to explore the opportunity to build a DA2G service in Australia. Our
technical teams are working together to develop the ecosystem in the Oceania
region to bring this outstanding technical solution to the aviation industry.”
Zoltan Losteiner, Director of APAC Business
Development at SkyFive, said: “We are thrilled to be participating in the
development of the local ecosystem to enable SkyFive’s DA2G to be trialled, and
eventually commercially developed in Australia. With the fastest growing
aircraft broadband connectivity solution globally, we are committed to keeping
the population of Oceania at the cutting edge of technology and are confident
that they will benefit from SkyFive’s global reach, expertise and agility to
create new value for the local aviation industry and its customers.”
In Europe, the European Aviation Network (EAN)
currently covers more than 35 countries and utilises Nokia’s products and
SkyFive technology to provide data services to passengers and crew travelling
in high-altitude jet aircraft. Recently, SkyFive launched a POC network in New
Zealand, where in addition to commercial aviation, public safety use-cases are
being demonstrated.
To make the trial possible, Pivotel and SkyFive
have secured a scientific spectrum license in the proposed A2G frequency band.
The use of this dedicated radio frequency spectrum is the key enabler for both
the performance and data security of DA2G communications.
Once the trial is successful, Pivotel plans to
rollout a national DA2G network across Australia.
Source: Pivotel media announcement
