Airbus is open to discussing with airlines a future where the European airframer acts as the orchestrator for ferrying data over multiple inflight connectivity pipes on Airbus aircraft — or partnering with a trusted company with those proficiencies — should aviation follow the cruise industry and adopt a ‘least cost routing’ approach, Airbus revealed to RGN at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.
On the heels of announcing a new linefit, supplier-furnished HBCplus modular architecture, which will accommodate two electronically steerable antennas in the Ku- and/or Ka-band from 2028 — and in what felt like a stunning admission — Airbus VP, head of connected aircraft program Tim Sommer confirmed that Airbus “definitely sees an interest in doing” multi-vendor, akin to maritime, and that:
Technically, our architecture enables that very clearly with what we have. So yes, we need to see what the best business arrangement is in there.
We’d probably be looking for partners, and you mentioned names on the market who are able actually to manage that [we mentioned edge-to-cloud network platform and Crystal Cabin Award winner Quvia, specifically]. That’s not necessarily what we see as our core business to do that.
Let’s see if we see a strong demand from the market to have Airbus in that position. I mean, we’re open to discuss that as well, but the important thing is, you have a system which allows you to do that, which has the technical capability to do it.
And then, as the market is evolving quickly now, we will see what, in the end, plays out [and] who is going to take that role.
In the here and now, under the broader linefit, supplier-furnished HBCplus program, Sommer described Airbus’ role thusly: “We manage an integrated solution from a system and from an aircraft configuration point of view.”
And, at least for now, airline customers of HBCplus must select a single managed service provider (MSP) even if they find a way forward to have two totally disparate networks on board in the HBCplus modular configuration (SES MEO + Amazon Leo, purely for instance.)
Airbus’ linefit, supplier-furnished HBCplus program boasts multiple managed service providers and partner satellite networks. Image: Airbus
RGN is fascinated by the multi-vendor-for-aero idea posited by Quvia. And the chorus of voices who see this model as relevant for aviation is growing.
Standing beside the Boeing Aerodynamic Shroud, which can accommodate up to two ESA antennas (for, say, Starlink’s two-ESA configuration) or the ARINC 791 compliant Gilat Stellar Blu Sidewinder multi-orbit ESA for the GEO + Eutelsat OneWeb LEO offerings from SES and Panasonic Avionics, Boeing Global Services marketing director Steve Jaffe told RGN in reference to multi-vendor:
“Whether we could use this fairing to accommodate multiple connectivity providers is something we’d have to explore. That’s maybe the running stage when we’re walking right now. And the jogging is where we create this as a standard platform to accommodate multiple IFC provider antennas…”
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