Inmarsat has selected Thales to develop and manufacture a Complementary Ground Component (CGC) terminal for its European Aviation Network (EAN) high-speed inflight connectivity solution.

Thales has already commenced development of the CGC terminal, which will be fitted onto aircraft to provide a crucial link with the LTE-based ground network. Development work is scheduled for completion in March 2017, prior to system trials and formal entry into service in the same year.

Airlines will be able to offer reliable, high-speed onboard internet access to passengers across Europe’s high-traffic flight paths, utilising Inmarsat’s 30MHz (2 x 15MHz) S-band spectrum allocation in all 28 EU member states. The agreement marks a key milestone for EAN, which was unveiled by Inmarsat last year as the first aviation passenger connectivity solution across European airspace to integrate an advanced satellite network and LTE-based ground network, the latter will be operated by Deutsche Telekom.