TAMPA, Fla. — SES announced an agreement with Boeing April 14 to start integrating multi-orbit hardware during aircraft production, marking a key step away from retrofit installations to incorporate low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband.
The Luxembourg-based satellite operator said Boeing will start installing in-cabin hardware on select aircraft during production, with antenna installation continuing separately until the system becomes fully line-fit around 2028.
Installations laying the groundwork for the low-profile, electronically steered antenna system are set to begin on Boeing 737 aircraft before expanding to 787s.
SES says it has completed more than 500 installations of its multi-orbit system to date and has around 1,000 commitments in the pipeline. The company separately announced a deal with Japan Airlines April 14 to equip 40 long-haul aircraft with the technology.
Most of the completed multi-orbit installations have been on American and Air Canada, according to an SES spokesperson.
SES is also working with Airbus through its HBCplus connectivity program, where airlines can select the company as a managed service provider.
Multi-orbit push
The multi-orbit system combines capacity from SES’ geostationary fleet and the OneWeb constellation operated by French partner Eutelsat.
SES said the hardware being installed is designed to be upgraded to support the satellites it also operates in medium Earth orbit.
The push toward factory-installed inflight connectivity comes amid mounting competition from SpaceX’s LEO-only Starlink network, while Amazon’s planned constellation is also gaining traction with major airlines ahead of plans to start offering inflight services next year.
Amazon unveiled an aviation antenna April 13 designed to deliver speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) download and 400 megabits per second (Mbps) upload per aircraft.
SES said its OneWeb-supported system can currently deliver up to 195 Mbps download and 32 Mbps upload per aircraft, emphasizing service quality over peak speed with support from a geostationary layer.
Still, the SES spokesperson said next-generation hardware in the works is expected to exceed 1 Gbps.