Read our series of interviews with the people who are making the Yocova platform come alive. Here we speak to Reza Rasoulian, VP Broadband Satellite Services at Hughes Network Systems, about passenger and airline demand for better inflight connectivity, the types of satellite technology being used to transform and deliver this, and the benefits for passengers and airlines, now and in the future.
Tell us more about Hughes and what the company does
“Hughes Network Systems is a global leader in satellite connectivity and managed services for people, enterprises, and things. We’ve been in business for over 50 years and specifically in aviation for more than 12 years, serving connectivity to passengers on a global scale.”
What’s the history of in-flight internet connectivity?
“Inflight internet connectivity has a long and interesting history. In the early days we had narrowband connection enabling passengers to send a text or a small message, but we’ve come a long way since then and evolved towards more robust connectivity solutions. Passenger experience is at the root of most of the major developments in this area. At Hughes, we’re proud to be a part of most major networks with Hughes technology inside. And now we’re operating as a service provider to select partners and airlines directly to bring high-speed connectivity and scale to airlines worldwide through our Hughes In-Flight suite of connectivity solutions.
In the early 2000s there was an inflection point where you had connectivity and phones onboard so you could make a very expensive phone call! The ecosystem did continue to innovate and evolve, but there were challenges such as unreliable Wi-Fi systems resulting in frustrated passengers. I think now, though, we’re quickly moving into a world where passengers need and demand high-speed inflight connectivity and we have building blocks available to make that possible.”
How will this work moving forward?
“You really need high-throughput satellite capacity. If you think about a highway with too many cars on it, movement will be slower, but if you build a bigger highway, traffic will theoretically move faster. Put simply, the same applies to satellites. A great example of that is the Hughes JUPITER™ 3 next-generation ultra high-density satellite (UHDS), which is a massive 500 Gigabit satellite focused on where people, airports and airport hubs are, which provides a massive connectivity highway, facilitating robust streaming and enabling what we call in the industry a ‘living room’ or ‘land like’ experience.
What do you feel passengers and airlines are looking for in terms of connectivity right now?
“Well, that’s really interesting because high-speed inflight connectivity serves to benefit both passengers and airlines. On the passenger side, you won’t get issues like flight crew having to reset the Wi-Fi service for the entire plane, because someone in, say, seat 22D’s connection isn’t working. Fast streaming on board will be normal, as will the opportunity to be able to reliably carry out work while in the air, and the ability to connect with loved ones on the ground throughout the flight.
On the airline side, there are also numerous benefits operationally and on a fuel efficiency basis. For example, if you have real-time weather data available coming into the aircraft, or from aircraft adjacent to or ahead of you, you can optimise the flight path based on that. This of course means that airlines will have the intelligence to steer towards a more fuel-efficient route, but it also loops back once again to enhancing customer experience by minimising turbulence.
I truly believe as an industry we need to step up and create an exceptional experience for passengers through inflight connectivity. Obviously, there’s a cycle time and it takes some time to install new hardware on aircraft, but the technology’s out there and available.”
Can you talk us through the progression of satellite bands?
“If I return to the highway analogy that we talked about before, satellite bands have basically progressed from kind of side streets to two lane highways, to three lane thoroughfares, to now, what we have with the JUPITER™ 3, a huge super-highway. Air-to-ground was a fantastic solution previously, but over time standards have changed and evolved and these had a finite amount of capacity. With these new very high throughput satellites you can increase capacity within the geography exponentially. If you think about cities such as London, or New York, for example, where you have multiple airports and significant air traffic in a compact area, you can imagine that the connectivity requirements are huge. So, you need to have the right amount of capacity at the right orbit to meet those needs and this can mean leveraging the benefits of different satellite orbits to deliver a reliable and consistent connection. At Hughes, we have the technology to leverage the benefits of different satellite orbit types and adopt a hybrid model to deliver connection excellence. For example, our Hughes Fusion In-Flight offering combines LEO service with Hughes Fusion™ technology to augment an existing GEO IFC solution and deliver an at-home or office-like Wi-Fi experience everywhere in the air, including over busy airport hubs.”
Can you explain the difference between Ku-band and Ka-band connectivity in real terms?
“Good question! There’s been a debate about Ku-band versus Ka-band satellites, and I think it really boils down to the superhighway. There’s nothing wrong with Ku-band satellites, they just provide a little less roadway because the chunks of frequency are smaller and more pronounced. So, to get the connectivity you need, you must launch more of them, which is expensive, meaning there’s an economic aspect to being able to achieve the desired experience. With Ka-band satellites, we’re using 3.5 gigahertz or more of the satellite spectrum, which creates massive superhighways. As a passenger, I know I’d rather be on the superhighway!”
What is Hughes value proposition to the market?
“It comes down to having the right technology, capacity, and solution. You’re only as good as your weakest link so if any one of those is off-kilter, then all bets are off. At Hughes we have the technology to be able to deliver across all three pillars and the partnerships we have are important too. Hughes is ultimately very focused on creating the best passenger experience, because to be frank, we need it, and passengers now expect it, particularly in a post-COVID-19 world. Historically, passenger in-flight expectations might have just been getting from A to B. Ten years ago, perhaps they expected to send a text or two. Five years ago, they maybe had some content they wanted to view. Today, passengers want easy access to all their content, they want to interact and perhaps listen in on a work meeting or check in on the kids at home. I for one am really excited that Hughes has developed the technology to be able to deliver all of that.”
Can you explain what GEO, LEO and MEO satellites are?
“GEO, LEO and MEO are basically the different types of satellites in terms of the distance from Earth in which they orbit. Geostationary Earth Orbit, or GEO, orbits at 36,000 km from Earth, Medium Earth Orbit, or MEO at between 5,000 and 20,000 km, and Low Earth Orbit, LEO, at between 500 to 1,200 km from Earth.
LEO satellites are closer to Earth, leading to a slightly snappier experience. When we think about latency, a LEO satellite can vary between 75 milliseconds to 100 or 150 milliseconds. MEO satellites are slightly higher up and will vary between 250 to 350 milliseconds depending on the constellation, and then GEO between 700 to 850 milliseconds.
The thing about LEO satellites, though, is that they are closer to earth, so you need a lot of them to cover the geography. MEO satellites are higher up and cover more area. GEO satellites, which are the furthest from the Earth, can cover an entire hemisphere. Basically, if you think about a flashlight, if you hold it close to something the beam is small, but the further away it is, the wider the beam gets, and this is essentially how satellite coverage works.”
What does the inflight connectivity landscape look like in 2030, in terms of satellite, technology and operations?
“Well, I’m glad you asked that question! I’m excited about the connectivity landscape today and even more so about where we’ll be by 2030. The solutions we’re certifying right now at Hughes are future-proof and we can deliver hybrid solutions depending on the coverage and latency requirements of our customers. By 2030 we’re going to see a frictionless, content-rich experience, where you get onto an aircraft and are connected from gate-to-gate, pole-to-pole and at every location on the planet. We’ll have multiple radios onboard, with no interruption, no dropped calls, and no portal issues. Why? Because the technology is already being developed to deliver this seamless experience.”
For more information, to contact or collaborate, visit: www.hughes.com/what-we-offer/mobile-connectivity/in-flight
Or email IFEC@Hughes.com
Author: Yocova, with special thanks to John Walton
Published 07 November 2023
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