CONNECTING AFRICA
Satcom Direct’s David Falberg and BAR Aviation’s Charlie Arter discuss the importance of establishing connectivity in Africa.
Papa Demuren, former Director of the Nigerian CAA, reputedly said about African infrastructure development, “Give me a mile of road, and I’ll drive you a mile; give me a mile of runway, and I’ll show you the world.” The African continent is vast; large enough in fact to simultaneously accommodate all of China, the USA,the UK, Japan, India, Eastern Europe, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy within its landmass and the necessity for connectivity is being determined by the vast expanses of land that operators must cover.
“African business aviation is a growing market, with large numbers of passengers attracted by its convenience – for both work and pleasure,” comments Charlie Arter, Chief Pilot of BAR Aviation, a premier provider of aviation services in Uganda and Satcom Direct client. “However, flying across this huge continent often means longer flights and connectivity is a massive challenge. Our clients, particularly VIPs, simply can’t afford to be offline on a 4- or 8-hour flight. They must be connected.”
This is why, with the expansion of connectivity leading to an increased range of applications and the launch or enhancement of satellite constellations by operators, Satcom Direct is committed to simplifying, expanding, and enhancing operational capabilities for our African customers.
David Falberg, VP International for SD said: “The options for GEO- and LEO- supported coverage in Africa are growing. At SD, we are already working with the Intelsat FlexExec network to deliver Ku-band services via our Plane Simple® Ku- band tail mount antenna. The PS Ka-band version will connect with the Inmarsat Global Xpress network once testing is completed and is expected to be flying on customer tails by 2024. For our African customers, this advanced technology is minimally invasive, service plans are flexible, and it is futureproofed as we’ve built the system on open architecture, meaning it will be compatible with technology yet to come down the line. We are protecting our customers’ investment.”
SD is also launching a Plane Simple electronically steered array antenna. The flat panel format will equip smaller aircraft and deliver Ku-band connectivity from the OneWeb network. African owners and operators will have more choice when connecting aircraft with genuinely global connectivity.
Keeping it consistent: The SD experience has proved outstanding for BAR Aviation, with passengers enjoying consistent connectivity speeds.
“Plane Simple is the premium system on the market,” says Arter. “It’s impressive both in terms of performance and coverage, offering not just high speeds and global coverage but a truly consistent experience for everyone on board.” BAR Aviation has recently had the Plane Simple Ku-band terminal and SDR® Router equipped on a Challenger 604. The Florida-based MRO Constant Aviation undertook the work, which saw BAR Aviation benefit from reduced costs and downtime thanks to the simple installation.
Keeping everyone in touch: A typical flight will transport six to ten executives or VIPs flying with family, all running devices simultaneously.
Purpose-built for business aviation, only two LRUs are required that are linked by common cabling, which can join all the SD Plane Simple antennas, making upgrades easy as mission needs change. Arter also adds, “SD’s flexible payment plans make it even more attractive, enabling us to control our costs while keeping our clients happy – that’s a real competitive advantage.”
