Inmarsat partners with roKKi to bring WiFi to Asia Pacific skies
Above: Air Asia Boeing 737-300 Malaysian Flag.
The roKKi connectivity service offers passengers a revolutionary communication experience that allows them to enjoy access to instant messaging applications on their personal mobile device while flying 35,000 feet above sea level. This meets passengers’ need to maintain close contact with friends and family while offering airlines the opportunity to generate ancillary revenue by employing quality technology at lower costs.
Powering roKKi’s connectivity service is Inmarsat’s L-band satellite service, SwiftBroadband. Inmarsat provides consistent coverage on routes across the world supported by a powerful ground network.
Using a Cobham four-channel satellite communication system that aggregates up to four times 332kbps that totals up to 1.3mbps of throughput, roKKi has successfully developed a low-cost, lightweight system that offers a smooth instant messaging experience similar to that on ground.
“As the first service provider to launch a four-channel system on a commercial airline, we’re running the fastest Inmarsat SwiftBroadband service available in the industry today,” said Sami El Hadery, roKKi’s executive director. “Our connectivity service is lightweight yet robust. It has the capacity to support multiple concurrent users, as proven in our successful user acceptance test that had 120 passengers using the system.”
The roKKi connectivity service is currently being deployed on AirAsia aircraft. AirAsia is the leading and largest low-cost carrier in Asia that services an extensive network of 88 destinations.
“This relationship shows the breadth of Inmarsat’s portfolio,” said Leo Mondale, President Aviation, Inmarsat. “SwiftBroadband is the perfect connectivity support for the roKKi solution.”
As part of a continuous effort to provide innovative communication solutions on board, roKKi will expand its connectivity service to provide access to emails and social media that’s set to roll out in phases in 2015.
