These days, it’s common for airlines to run data over two different satcom pipes on longhaul flights, transmitting safety and operational data via safety-approved L-band satellite services while separately providing passengers and crew with onboard Internet and other applications over Ku- or Ka-band geostationary satellites. But in the coming years, multiple networks and new non-geostationary satellite constellations will increasingly be in play, and with it the expectation that airlines can seamlessly roam between them and experience region- and cost-optimized network service.
It is against this backdrop that German multinational corporation Kontron has introduced its new ACE Flight 2780 Auxiliary Modem Unit, which allows a second or third satcom modem to be installed with the main modem manager (Modman) on aircraft.