Honeywell has provided upgraded satellite communications equipment to Malaysia Airlines to allow passengers to use mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) while on selected Malaysia Airlines flights as part of a pilot program through mid-2009.
Passengers can use their mobile and data phone services while the plane is in the cruise phase of flight without impacting aircraft systems and ground telecommunication networks.
Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft are already outfitted with Honeywell’s SATCOM communications systems to provide passenger and crew instant digital voice and data communications, as well as flight deck connectivity with air traffic control. Recent routine maintenance checks provided an opportunity to implement the new lightweight data services capability, for cost-effective and seamless connectivity. The European Aviation Safety Agency and the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation provided aviation safety approvals.
“The Honeywell in-flight communications system is a tremendous advancement in improving passenger productivity and convenience,” said Mike Madsen, Honeywell Vice President of Airlines. “Honeywell is able to deliver this enhanced capability that supports passenger cell phone and BlackBerry™ use very easily and at a low cost for Malaysia Airlines. The architecture of our systems allows for easy installation and future upgrades can be completed quickly, with minimal downtime for the aircraft.”
Honeywell’s HD710 High Speed Data SATCOM unit replaces the High Power Amplifier (HPA) with a unit that contains both the HPA and a high-speed data unit. Currently, the unit will have two Swift64 High-Speed Data Channels, each channel with a capacity of 64Kbits/second. The same system is planned to be upgraded in the future to two Swift Broadband Channels with a total capacity of 864Kbits/second.
