In-Flight Connectivity Installations to Jump This Year, NSR Says

The in-flight connectivity market will generate $37 billion in cumulative revenue by 2027, driven largely by high-throughput services (HTS) and more market penetration globally, Northern Sky Research said Monday. NSR said demand will hit nearly 295 Gbps of HTS capacity and more than 92 transponders of fixed satellite service Ku-band demand by then. It said only one in four International Air Transport Association-registered airlines had passenger in-flight connectivity at the end of 2017. The researcher said the pace of installations has been slower than expected, and profit margins have been squeezed by lower capacity pricing. It said revenue should close to double this year, with a 50 percent growth in the number of aircraft with in-flight connectivity capabilities.