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AeroMobile Sees Relationship with Panasonic Avionics Paying Dividends
01 April 2009 - Aeromobile, the award-winning provider of in-flight mobile phone
services, is demonstrating the benefits of its partnership with Panasonic Avionics
Corporation (Panasonic), the world leader in state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment
and communication (IFE) systems, at this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo.
Work by the two companies has led to the integration of the AeroMobile system
with Panasonic’s X Series IFE platform. Known as the eXPhone, the system allows
airlines to incorporate in-flight mobile technology within the Panasonic IFE system,
saving investment costs and aircraft weight.
Panasonic is offering eXPhone as part of their Global Communications Suite, or
as a stand-alone product.
Paul Margis, Chief Executive Officer, Panasonic Avionics Corporation, said:
“Our objective has been to offer a flexible, scalable product that integrates
in-flight mobile technology into our IFE systems. Airlines are starting to see
the benefits of this, both in terms of cost and convenience.”
AeroMobile’s relationship with Panasonic has been forged in successful in-service
operations with Qantas, Emirates and Malaysia Airlines. Later this year, V Australia
will roll out the eXPhone service on its trans-Pacific routes.
AeroMobile CEO, Bjorn-Taale Sandberg, said: “Our relationship with Panasonic
unites the world’s largest IFE provider with one of the world’s largest telecom
providers – our majority shareholder Telenor - enabling us to provide a genuine
enhancement to airline IFE solutions.
“A number of airlines have already expressed strong interest in eXPhone, and
we hope to be able to announce further details shortly.”
- Ends -
About AeroMobile
AeroMobile Limited is a UK-based company which is majority owned by Telenor ASA.
Since 2003, it has been pursuing the objective of developing the safe use of passengers
own mobile phones and PDAs in response to market demands.
AeroMobile is the first in-flight mobile technology to be commercially available
and first flew in June 2005 on Boeing’s 777-200LR ‘Worldliner’ demonstrator aircraft.
It was subsequently trialled with Qantas on over 1,000 domestic Australian flights
in 2007, when GSM text messaging and GPRS data services were offered to its passengers.
In March 2008, the AeroMobile system made possible the first authorised in-flight
calls on a commercial flight with launch customer Emirates. Since that time, over
160,000 Emirates passengers have used AeroMobile, and it is now available on 32
aircraft – a quarter of the airline’s fleet.
AeroMobile is also in service with Malaysian Airlines, and will be rolled out
on V Australia aircraft later this year.
AeroMobile is teamed with Panasonic Avionics Corporation, the Panasonic’s market-leading
in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems provider, to offer the AeroMobile aircraft
technology under the eXPhone brand as an integral part of Panasonic’s IFE systems.
The AeroMobile system uses existing Inmarsat satellite communications systems
installed on commercial aircraft, and these will be upgraded at the earliest opportunity
to Inmarsat's latest SwiftBroadband service providing further features and capabilities
such as GPRS mobile data services
In September 2008, AeroMobile won the “Best Achievement in Technology 2008” award
from the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA).
More information may be found at www.aeromobile.net <http://www.aeromobile.net/>
For more information contact:
Steve Double or Charlie Hampton
at Bell Pottinger Business & Brand
Telephone: 020 7861 2449/2431
E-Mail: champton@bell-pottinger.co.uk For all media inquiries, please contact Steve Double
on 0044 (0)207 861 2449 or Charlie Hampton on 0044 (0)207 861 2431 at Bell Pottinger Public Relations |
