This week the first aircraft of the fleet was connected, after the Agencia Nacional de Aviación Civil, ANAC (National Civil Aviation Agency) authorized it to fly, last Monday. Ronald Valladao, president of EMC Connected Brazil, provider of SpeedNet platform for the airline, said to Convergencialatina that currently tests are being made, while completing the installation in a second plane: "By the end of next year, 80% of the units of Avianca Brazil fleet, circulating in Brazilian territory, will be connected".
SpeedNet is a patented technology, which includes Internet access inside the aircraft, live TV, streaming of video, music, games, maps, and other services. It is currently in use in more than 700 aircrafts, operating on Ku and Ku HTS bands. The operation is in the hands of two companies, Gee (dedicated to aviation connectivity) and EMC (connectivity for mobility).
In his speech in the Latin American Satellite Congress, Valladão said the possibility of services on board aircrafts represents a market opportunity of over US$10 billion, 13,000 planes globally, and a trend for increased investments with a focus on the quality of passengers' experience.