VUELING AND TELEFÓNICA WILL PROVIDE HIGH-SPEED WIFI OVER SATELLITE IN AIRCRAFTS. Thanks to this strategic alliance, Vueling passengers will enjoy the most advanced connectivity service and an experience similar to high-speed internet on the ground. Telefónica will be responsible for integrating LiveTV’s high-speed technology with Eutelsat’s AIR
ACCESS service using the KA-SAT satellite
Vueling and Telefónica have reached an agreement to implement a high-speed wifi service in aircrafts, so that users will have a very similar navigation experience to that enjoyed on the ground.
Thanks to this agreement, four of Vueling’s Airbus A320s will have the service available during this year, making it
the first European company to offer high-speed wifi, thereby laying the foundations for what the on-board connectivity
model will be like. To date, this kind of data access was not possible on short distances in Europe such as Madrid-
Barcelona, for example. This opens up a world of possibilities for passengers: consulting and answering email,
updating their statuses on social networks or being connected to news and events in real time, among many other
possibilities.
Telefónica will be responsible for integrating LiveTV’s high-speed technology with Eutelsat’s AIR ACCESS mobile
service via its KA-SAT satellite in order to provide a complete internet access solution in the air.
Ka band satellite systems are unique for being able to offer a 20Mbps user experience in-flight that is similar to ADSL
in the home. This makes a real difference compared to what is currently available. Though there are other
technologies in the market, a new generation of Ka band satellites, also called High Throughput Satellites (HTS),
enables passengers to use their electronic devices (smartphones or tablets) during the flight as if they were on the
ground.
Telefonica has selected Eutelsat as provider of the satellite network and mobile service, while LiveTV will provide all
the equipment on board the aircraft. LiveTV is also in charge of the process of obtaining the necessary certifications
(STC) from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the use of this technology in Vueling’s Airbus A320s.
About Vueling
Vueling was launched in July 2004 with a fleet of two Airbus A320s, four routes and the aim of offering an excellent
service to customers at competitive prices. Ten years later, Vueling operates over 250 routes in 117 cities in Europe,
the Middle East and Africa; it has a fleet of 90 aircraft, 17 operational bases and has transported over 75 million
passengers. From the outset, Vueling was committed to the use of technologies for the benefit of its customers,
introducing seat allocation and issue of the boarding card the moment the booking was made, both on paper and on
the mobile phone. In 2011, Vueling presented the first application in Europe and one of the first in the world to
incorporate not only information but also a complete flight purchase system which enabled travellers to check in,
seats to be allocated and customers’ booking history to be accessed. Subsequently, it has incorporated new services
such as the Flight Status Manager and, very recently, Vueling presented to the world the first boarding card which
you can carry on your wrist, on your Smartwatch.
Telefónica is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world by stock market capitalisation and
number of customers. From that leading position in the industry, and with its mobile and landline telephony and
broadband businesses as the key factors in its growth, Telefónica has focused on its strategy of becoming a leading
company in the digital world. The company has a significant presence in 24 countries and a customer base of over
323 million accesses around the world. Telefónica has a strong presence in Spain, Europe and Latin America, where
the company essentially concentrates its growth strategy.
LiveTV, a fully-owned subsidiary of JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU), is a leading provider of real-time in-flight
entertainment systems and connectivity for commercial airlines. Founded in 1998 in Melbourne, Florida, LiveTV has
installation and maintenance sites around the world to support commercial aircraft, with over 90,000 seats equipped
with its products. Current clients include JetBlue, United, Frontier, Alitalia, Virgin Australia, WestJet and Azul. To
obtain a complete list of products and partners or for more information, please visit www.livetv.net.
Established in 1977, Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is one of the
world’s leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 36
satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and
Internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies. Eutelsat’s satellites provide ubiquitous coverage of
Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, enabling video, data, broadband and government
communications to be established irrespective of a user’s location. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports
around the globe, Eutelsat represents a workforce of 1,000 men and women from 32 countries who are experts in
their fields and work with clients to deliver the highest quality of service. For more about Eutelsat please visit
www.eutelsat.com
