Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ, TASE: GILT) and their aero modem, Taurus, is powering In-flight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC) service to China’s Qingdao Airlines.
The service is provided by China Satcom over CS-16 Ka-HTS satellite, together with its partner China TDT LINK (contents/service provider to passengers). The entire Ka-band IFEC system was integrated by FTS, a Chinese system integrator that received the STC/VSTC for this IFEC early this year. This milestone of opening-up of the Chinese Ka-band IFEC market is the driver for a multi-million-dollar market opportunity.
The Qingdao Airlines’ A320 aircraft has started to provide the Ka-band, SATCOM based, IFEC commercial service, after a successful flight from Qingdao to Chengdu on July 7, 2020, with its IFEC system formally open to the passengers for the first time. As of this writing, there are more than 3,500 commercial aircraft operating in China and this aircraft is the first one retrofitted with a Ka band IFEC system.
Executive Comment
“Gilat is proud to have been selected by our long-term partners China Satcom and FTS, and most pleased with the joint effort of integrating our proven IFC modem, Taurus, to enable opening of the Chinese skies for broadband connectivity,” said Yuan Si, China Country Manager for Gilat. “Gilat views China as a strategic focus area, and this success marks yet another important landmark in Gilat’s vision of enabling plentiful quality affordable broadband connectivity everywhere. We look forward to continued collaboration with our strategic partners, to jointly reap the benefits of this multi-million-dollar China IFC market.”
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