German firm SkyFive is developing what it calls a “triple-path inflight connectivity service” which will integrate SkyFive’s broadband air-to-ground (A2G) network with a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) from EchoStar Mobile — leveraging S-band satellite connectivity — and a terrestrial 4G/5G network.
The centerpiece of this hybrid IFC solution is Diehl Aviation’s High Performance Controller (HPC), an ultra-compact, all-in-one line-replaceable unit that supports all three networks, said SkyFive. Sequans provides the highly integrated chipset for the A2G modem, which implements SkyFive’s patented algorithms. And EchoStar Mobile delivers the NTN modem and corresponding satellite service.
Fascinated by this development, we reached out to SkyFive to learn more about this triple-path IFC system, which will be flight-tested this year on a Textron Cessna Citation aircraft in an as yet undisclosed country in Central Europe.
SkyFive CCO Dirk Lindemeier tells us: “The SkyFive A2G network and the EchoStar Mobile S-band satellite service work in tandem, as an integrated hybrid solution, very similar to how [the hybrid air-to-ground/S-band] European Aviation Network is constructed. The SkyFive A2G network is the terrestrial component, radiating on the EchoStar S-band spectrum.”
He reckons that this combo “yields the best combination of performance” — via the A2G link — and coverage, via the NTN link. Indeed, the NTN component is primarily there to ensure there is coverage where A2G has gaps, and secondarily, “for high touch use cases in the domain of operational communications, where link redundancy is required”. That makes sense as Diehl’s box and the multi-path architecture originally stem from SkyFive’s earlier work in the Advanced Air Mobility space, which it announced in 2023.
Notably, the third component of this offering, the terrestrial 4G/5G network, “will provide additional coverage on and near the ground”, said Lindemeier. That sounds similar to the Orchestra hybrid configuration touted years ago by Inmarsat, which proposed bringing a congestion-relieving layer of terrestrial 5G to busy airport hubs, whilst supporting the inflight portion of the connectivity via satcom. Inmarsat was later acquired by Viasat.
Supplemental type certification (STC) work for the SkyFive/Diehl triple-path IFC solution will begin in the second quarter of this year, and test flights are scheduled for the fourth quarter, revealed Lindemeier. “The ground network is initially being deployed in a Central European country. I cannot disclose yet which one.”
While the network will initially be used for testing triple-path communications across A2G, NTN, and terrestrial 4G/5G networks to provide Internet access for passengers and enable “new use cases” for operational benefits, another objective is to make IFC more accessible for smaller aircraft, including business jets, by considerably reducing the size, weight, and power consumption of the airborne equipment.
To that end, alongside the new network, Diehl and SkyFive are collaborating on a new airborne terminal that extends the existing offering to smaller aircraft.
Interestingly, SkyFive has been able to extend A2G coverage significantly over the last 12 months, including in the Middle East, and a recent project in Indonesia “proves that large waterways are not a problem thanks to recent long-range enhancements”, noted Lindemeier. “The remaining gaps can be covered by NTN.”
The NTN component will be upgradable to the 5G New Radio (5GNR), the foundational technology behind 5G, featuring full interoperability between satellites and user terminals from different vendors, based on open 3GPP standards, assures SkyFive.
“A2G and NTN are complementary technologies based on common open standards and supported by the vast mobile communication ecosystem,” said Lindemeier in a published statement “Integrating both into a single compact package yields an optimal combination of data performance, service coverage, and minimal size and weight of the airborne equipment.”
For its part, EchoStar Mobile is “thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking triple-path inflight connectivity service,” said company Telemaco Melia, vice president and general manager. “This aligns with our corporate mission to connect people and things. We look forward to enhancing the passenger experience and operational communications through our collaboration with SkyFive and Diehl Aviation.”
SkyFive is not new to the IFC space. It acquired Nokia’s air-to-ground assets in 2019, after Nokia served as a key technology partner on the European Aviation Network, which is now operated by Viasat (formerly Inmarsat) and Deutsche Telekom. SkyFive still supports the EAN, but it has commercialized its own air-to-ground IFC product, A2G, for airlines elsewhere including in the Middle East.
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