Airbus and Hughes Network Systems have signed an agreement for Hughes Network Systems to become a member of Airbus' HBCplus Ka-band offering. This follows an MoU announcement with Hughes at last year's AIX Expo and makes Hughes Network Systems the latest Managed Service Provider (MSP) to join the Airbus catalogue. With this new member, Airbus is enhancing the airlines' choice of MSPs.
“Our partnership with Airbus on HBCplus gives airlines more flexibility in creating industry-leading connectivity experiences onboard Airbus aircraft,” said Reza Rasoulian, Senior Vice President, and General Manager of the Aviation Business Unit at Hughes.
“Now, with our global Ka-band capacity across Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites and our roadmap that includes Low Earth Orbit (LEO) integration and comprehensive polar coverage, airlines will have unprecedented options for robust, reliable in-flight connectivity.”
Once operational, Hughes will offer HBCplus customers a combination of its well-known GEO services and is planning to provide access to Telesat’s future LEO services. Regarding the latter, the initial 198-satellite Telesat Lightspeed constellation will deliver low-latency, high throughput connectivity anywhere in the world, including polar routes.
“We are pleased to confirm Hughes as part of the HBCplus ecosystem,” says Tim Sommer, Head of Connected Aircraft at Airbus. “Passenger expectations for in-flight connectivity and digital services continue to accelerate and airlines demand simple, seamless integration across their entire digital partner ecosystem. Hughes will add further choices for airlines and strengthen our multi-orbit strategy.”
