Inflight connectivity industry debates future viability of low earth orbit models

When asked about the possibility of Eutelsat OneWeb Ku and Telesat Lightspeed Ka service on the same aircraft, Wade responded, “I see no reason why that couldn’t happen in the future.” Panasonic is currently bringing multi-orbit LEO/GEO IFC to market using Eutelsat OneWeb LEO and its own GEO network with Gilat/Stellar Blu’s Sidewinder ESA.

Peter Lemme from Seamless Air Alliance echoed similar sentiments at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg: “I think there’s a possibility of having two LEO networks on airplanes... something like Starlink (Ku) and Kuiper (Ka).” He highlighted capacity constraints and legal coverage concerns but noted that hybrid terminals embracing both LEO and GEO could route certain traffic efficiently.

However, Dave Bijur from Intelsat disagrees with Wade and Lemme's assessment. Bijur stated, “I don’t believe that network hotspots are solved by more LEO; they suffer the same problem as the LEO satellite right next to it.” He elaborated that demand varies significantly across different regions, which can only be addressed through a multi-orbit system.

Single-band LEO IFC is already being implemented by SpaceX’s Starlink Ku-band service on JSX and Hawaiian Airlines. Other airline customers include airBaltic, Qatar Airways, and WestJet. Hughes Network Systems is also preparing to launch LEO-only IFC with Eutelsat OneWeb service.

Wade acknowledged a role for single LEO-only IFC in certain applications: “If you’re not worried about coverage issues anymore and you’re confident about capacity... we may be looking at a LEO-only world in the future.” He predicts that by the end of this decade, largely LEO-only installations for IFC will become prevalent.

SpaceX considers adding a third ESA for larger aircraft feasible. However, Wade believes two ESAs—one for Ku and one for Ka—are sufficient: “Beyond that... maintenance becomes an issue.” Bijur remains skeptical about multiple antennas on one airplane being practical everywhere.

Eutelsat OneWeb LEO is expected to debut soon in aviation, supporting Intelsat’s multi-orbit IFC and eventually Panasonic’s offerings using a single ESA. Amazon’s Project Kuiper Ka-band LEO constellation aims to offer initial broadband services by 2025 but has yet to disclose specific plans for the aviation/IFC market.