MJAM2020
3 months ago
Looks like a decent chance this is will be the Middle East Airline mentioned. Also the companies mentioned at the end of the article seems to be some pretty good company to be in. Roll all of this up together into IPTK :) Would make for some nice offerings. We should be hearing within the next week or 2 on the Australian listing.
BlueBox and IPTK
https://www.inflight-online.com/bluebox-and-fflya-confirm-iridium-certus-network-live-payments-from-blueview/
BlueBox and Jazeera Airways... https://blueboxaviation.com/bbwow-jazeera/
Customer News: Jazeera Airways launches free inflight entertainment service
14 November 2018 | News
Customer News: Jazeera Airways launches free inflight entertainment service
First Bluebox Wow wireless entertainment service to be deployed by a commercial airline in Middle East
Passengers can stream movies and other entertainment content to their personal device
Kuwait, November 14, 2018: Jazeera Airways, Kuwait’s leading low-cost airline, operating regionally and internationally, today launched Jazeera Screens, its wireless inflight entertainment service on all flights, enabling passengers to enjoy watching movies and TV shows as well as play games, read about local destinations and track their route, all for free.
Jazeera Screens is an innovative service available on iOS and Android devices. Passengers can simply connect to the on-board wireless network to start enjoying the content during their flight using their smartphone or tablet. Passengers are also invited to download the Jazeera Screens app before boarding to stream at their convenience during their flight.
Jazeera Airways CEO, Rohit Ramachandran, said: “Jazeera Airways continues to roll out new services to enhance our customers’ experience every time they fly with us. The new system has been deployed with leading service providers in the field to cater to our wide customer base and provide them with a rich content in English, Arabic and Indian languages.”
On November 21 during its flight J9 253 to Amman, passengers will enjoy an exclusive movie night with free popcorn for all passengers.
Developed in partnership with Bluebox Aviation Systems, Aeroplay Entertainment and Global Onboard Partners, Jazeera Screens will evolve to include on-board shopping in the coming year.
Kevin Clark, Bluebox CEO, said: “We are delighted to have Jazeera Airways as our first commercial airline customer for Bluebox Wow in the Middle East region. The selection of Bluebox is recognition of the flexibility and ongoing development of Bluebox Wow and the credibility of our technical team in supporting customer growth.”
On his part, Prakash Johari, Aeroplay Entertainment MD & CEO, said: “We are excited to be on-board Jazeera Airways to support and enhance the passenger experience with the latest inflight entertainment content, including movies, TV shows, Audio, destination videos and guides. We would like to thank Jazeera Airways for this opportunity and recognising our shared vision, commitment and joint growth in the aviation industry.”
Kirk Adams, CEO of Global Onboard Partners, commented: “We are pleased to be partnering with Jazeera Airways to implement this new and innovative inflight entertainment system as their advertising sales partner. The system allows for a variety of excellent ad and sponsor placements.”
Jazeera Airways flies to 26 popular destinations across the Middle East, India and Europe comprising high-demand business, leisure, family and weekend destinations such as Dubai, Bahrain, Beirut, Alexandria, Amman, Istanbul, Sharm El Sheikh, Assiut, Luxor, Mashhad, Sohag, Jeddah, Riyadh, Madinah, Cairo, Al Najaf, Taif, Doha, Kochi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lahore, Baku and Tbilisi.
The airline operates a fleet of Airbus A320s and an Airbus A320neo, the first to be owned and operated in the Middle East.
– ENDS –
About Bluebox Aviation Systems Ltd.
Bluebox Aviation Systems Ltd. specialises in software solutions for the aviation industry. The Bluebox in-flight entertainment (IFE) portfolio provides airlines the latest technology in tablet-based and wireless IFE solutions (fitted and portable) as cost-effective alternatives to seatback IFE systems, and exploits these platforms to address a range of IFE requirements: service enhancement, service recovery, accessibility services (for passengers with hearing and visual impairments) and ancillary revenue generation.
About Aeroplay Entertainment
Aeroplay Entertainment is a boutique Inflight Content Service Provider with expertise in tailor-made content delivered seamlessly through multiple channels onboard. Being part of one of the largest content marketing companies in the Middle East and Asia, Maxposure Media Group, Aeroplay Entertainment serves global hubs of the aviation industry with offices in USA, Singapore, Bangladesh, India, UAE, Thailand and Bahrain. Providing content in both seat-back IFE and Wi-Fi IFE, Aeroplay Entertainment has collaborated and build relations with leading producers, distributors, studios globally to ensure our airline partner gets the finest and latest content — from blockbuster movies across the world, videos, content for children, TV series, regional content and more.
About Global Onboard Partners
Global Onboard Partners gained FAA certification for its unique in-flight advertising products and launched a new breed of global advertising. With patented graphic technology, new streaming technology, a team of global sales representatives, and a team of experienced commercial aviation professionals, Global Onboard Partners has positioned itself to be one of the largest and most comprehensive aviation media companies in the world.
And the re-up...
https://blueboxaviation.com/jazeera-extension/?utm_source=li&utm_campaign=blueview&utm_medium=pr-jazeera_renewal
IMHO
mj
MJAM2020
3 months ago
https://www.inflight-online.com/bluebox-and-fflya-confirm-iridium-certus-network-live-payments-from-blueview/
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Bluebox and FFLYA confirm successful credit card payment ground tests over Iridium Certus network
By Satu Dahl May 24, 2024 Aircraft Interiors Expo, Ancillary revenues, Featured, IFEC
Bluebox and FFLYA confirm Iridium Certus Network live payments from Blueview
Bluebox Aviation Systems and FFLYA have announced that the companies have conducted successful ground tests of credit card payments over the Iridium Certus satellite network.
The tests included live payment transactions completed on an iPad to purchase in-flight entertainment bundles from Bluebox’s Blueview digital services platform. The companies say the purchases were sent wirelessly from the iPad to a Bluebox Wow portable wireless unit which was connected to the FFLYA router, and that router was connected through a patch antenna to the Iridium Certus satellite network. The payment was then validated by a payment provider and the purchase confirmed on the iPad.
Blueview software platform provides browser-based portal for passengers can view and access digital services including onboard retail, in-flight entertainment and a moving map, as well as all the underlying functionality which ensures secure payment processing, delivery of content, third-party app integration, content management and analytics.
“For Bluebox, ensuring our customers have choice – choice of digital services, choice of hardware system and choice of connectivity solution – is central to everything we do,” said James Macrae, CTO, Bluebox.
“Airlines invest considerably in differentiating their product and delivering the best experience for their passengers. No two airlines are alike – so one size won’t fit all. We’ve already integrated Blueview with high bandwidth GEO satcom connectivity, but these are still considerable investments for many airlines, especially for LCCs and regional operators.
“For some airlines, any investment in connectivity is still years away – and we have well-proven offline solutions for them. Now, we’re able to offer a happy medium – all the power of Blueview, boosted by the ability for airlines to increase revenue with more onboard sales in a secure retail environment, thanks to live payment validation.”
Ron Chapman, President, FFLYA commented: “Bluebox and FFLYA share some common principles in providing low-cost, rapid deployment of systems that improve the passenger experience and help our airline customers generate revenue. Bluebox are experts in digital passenger experiences, and we bring our expertise and proven experience with LEO connectivity and different antennae systems, knowing that for many of Bluebox’s target customers, a single patch antenna is the best solution.
“This eliminates the issues found with window antennae, for which there can be a 60-degree blind spot above larger aircraft which can result in a high failure rate of transactions due to the unique time and data requirements of live retail payment validation – not exactly ideal for an airline depending on maximising revenue from onboard retail sales. Plus, our antenna with a single cabling and partition install can be done overnight – making this a fast and simple engineering task and minimising the time the aircraft is out of service.”
According to FFLYA, its patch antenna is an Iridium aviation certified Certus antenna which has zero drag. An STC for Airbus A320 family aircraft is already available, and the company has plans underway for the Boeing 737 series.
asiqlimited
4 months ago
So I am able to provide a bit more clarification on where we are at. The restructure is taking longer than anticipated, due to the commercial process of establishing the public Australian company, but looks like launch date will be July 1st to coincide with our new financial year. The final construct should see IPTK as a major shareholder of the Australian company. The initial Australian company who is now the licensee for the airline program has been established as FFLYA Pty Ltd and of the 10% equity we issue to raised funds, to date we have raised A$265 at A$ 7 cents per share (US 5cents)
This has enabled us to secure a contract in the Middle East for a new airline program, finish testing with Bluebox (press link below) and have the business case approved on a second airline. Plus commit to a flight test on a third airline, but will need some additional funds to support that. Offical announcements will follow once airline approved.
On Wizz, due the A321NEO major engine issues grounding 45 of the existing Wizz NEO fleet, our A321CEO equipped fleet have been relocated to the EU to support the aircraft shortfall. As a result we needed to suspend the UK program. Wizz advised they plan to release a request for proposal for the full fleet and that the passenger flight proving was a success, but as the engines issues are the priority, I am uncertain when that will eventuate.
Apparently they report the aircraft will be grounded between 250-300 days. This is a global issue but unfortunately Wizz is the largest operator of this type of aircraft.
Regardless, it was Wizz who confirms our system works and that has been crucial for new programs, so we will persevere as without their support we would not have got off the ground.
https://blueboxaviation.com/leo-payments/?utm_source=cc&utm_campaign=aix24&utm_medium=nl2405
MJAM2020
4 months ago
This one isn't directly FFLYA related...but interesting for BlueTooth in general.
Hubble Network makes Bluetooth connection with a satellite for the first time
Aria Alamalhodaei@breadfrom / 4:00 PM EDT•May 2, 2024
Comment
Global satellite communications. Conceptual representation of a global network of communications satellites, such as the Starlink satellites.
Image Credits: Getty Images
Hubble Network has become the first company in history to establish a Bluetooth connection directly to a satellite — a critical technology validation for the company, potentially opening the door to connecting millions more devices anywhere in the world.
The Seattle-based startup launched its first two satellites to orbit on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 rideshare mission in March; since that time, the company confirmed that it has received signals from the onboard 3.5mm Bluetooth chips from over 600 kilometers away.
The sky is truly the limit for space-enabled Bluetooth devices: The startup says its technology can be used in markets including logistics, cattle tracking, smart collars for pets, GPS watches for kids, car inventory, construction sites and soil temperature monitoring. Haro said the low-hanging fruit is those industries that are desperate for network coverage even once per day, like remote asset monitoring for the oil and gas industry. As the constellation scales, Hubble will turn its attention to sectors that may need more frequent updates, like soil monitoring, to continuous coverage use cases like fall monitoring for the elderly.
Once it’s up and running, a customer would simply need to integrate their devices’ chipsets with a piece of firmware to enable connection to Hubble’s network.
Hubble was founded in 2021 by Life360 co-founder Alex Haro, Iotera founder Ben Wild (who sold his startup to Ring) and aerospace engineer John Kim. Haro said the first time Wild presented the idea of connecting a Bluetooth chip to a satellite, his initial reaction was, “No freaking way.” And it does sound crazy, especially as consumer electronics can struggle to connect to other Bluetooth-enabled devices that are just a few feet away.
But the demand is there: Existing IoT devices are power hungry, costly to operate and lack global connectivity, the company says. These are fundamental limitations related to Bluetooth-enabled devices today, and they prevent many industries from leveraging IoT for their businesses.
The company joined Y Combinator’s Winter 2022 cohort and closed a $20 million Series A last March. Hubble’s first innovation was to develop software enabling off-the-shelf Bluetooth chips to communicate over very long ranges with low power.
On the space side, the company also patented a phased array antenna that can launch on a small satellite. The antennas work almost like a magnifying glass, and it’s what enables an off-the-shelf Bluetooth chip to communicate with the Hubble satellite. The team also had to solve Doppler-related problems, frequency mismatches that occur between fast-moving objects exchanging data via radio waves.
One of Hubble’s satellites in a terrestrial test chamber. Image Credits: Hubble Network
Hubble is aiming to launch a third satellite on SpaceX’s Transporter-11 mission this summer and a fourth on Transporter-13. Those four satellites will compose what Haro called the “beta constellation,” and pilot customers are starting to turn their integrations on even today, he said. The startup plans to launch the following 32 satellites all at once in the fourth quarter of 2025 or the beginning of 2026, though the launch provider has not been selected yet.
Those 36 satellites will compose Hubble’s first “production constellation,” and they’ll enable connection with a Hubble satellite roughly two-three hours per day from anywhere in the world.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/02/hubble-network-connects-a-bluetooth-chip-to-a-satellite-for-the-first-time/
MJAM2020
7 months ago
AirFi with another test partner. FFLYA mentioned in the write up.
VietJet signs on for AirFi LEO trial
23 FEBRUARY 2024 BY SETH MILLER LEAVE A COMMENT
AirFi has added another customer for its lightweight LEO connectivity offering in Asia. The company inked a deal with VietJet to trial its inflight internet service on two aircraft, announced at the Singapore Air Show.
Today is very special for me because one of the biggest airlines in Asia has agreed to our trial proposition to bring connectivity not only to VietJet, but also all the Vietnamese passengers. – Martijn Moret, AirFi co-Founder and Board Member
The agreement calls for a couple aircraft in the VietJet fleet to be fitted, allowing the airline to test the connectivity solution and its impact on crew and passenger experience in flight.VietJet currently operates 79 A320-family planes, as well as seven A330s.
The AirFi solution is supported by a modem and window-mount antenna sourced from SKYTRAC, which also participated in the signing ceremony in Singapore. SKYTRAC’s President Malachi Nordine called attention to the quick installation available for the window-mount antenna, which can be installed “overnight, in a matter of hours, a significant differentiator and value add for airlines.”
The antenna, modem, and on-board access point that make up the AirFi LEO solution
The antenna, modem, and on-board access point that make up the AirFi LEO solution
Additional services on the horizon
Payments processing remains the most compelling use case of the AirFi LEO system. CEO Job Heimerikx remains confident that the reduction in payment failures alone can cover an airline’s implementation costs. On top of that the lightweight messaging services – either paid or free to passengers – work without an extra application layer on the phone. That opens a range of revenue or passenger experience opportunities.
But AirFi is not stopping there. During a recent visit at the company’s headquarters Heimerikx disclosed the company is now working on an email option as well.
The company says it is focused on webmail rather than a full application experience. It will almost certainly not be able to support every webmail solution on the market. But getting Gmail and Office365 sorted could be enough to satisfy a sufficiently large customer base to be worth the effort.
Exactly how this will work remains unclear, and similar concerns have been raised with respect to fflya‘s similar claimed implementations. Neither has provided further details on how they are handling the authentication, data security, and content filtering necessary to deliver the more robust messaging services on a lightweight link, though both clearly have a plan they’re executing.
https://paxex.aero/vietjet-signs-on-for-airfi-leo-trial/
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