John Guidon, Chief Technical Officer and Co-Founder of Global Eagle.
Photo: Global Eagle

[Via Satellite 09-24-2013] Global Eagle Entertainment, a global provider of satellite-based In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC) for airlines, and Thaicom, a satellite communications provider in Asia-Pacific, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to mutually develop, implement and support in-flight connectivity solutions for airlines in Thailand and the surrounding region. The partnership “makes sense in the scope of [Global Eagle’s] expansion into Asia-Pacific,” said John Guidon, CTO at Global Eagle, in an exclusive interview with Via Satellite. “It’s quite high activity that we see in the area and we see [Thaicom] being a good partner. Their vision is in line with ours,” he said.

The partnership, which Guidon explained is the result of ongoing conversations, is intended to support airlines in Thailand and throughout the Asia-Pacific region in developing and operating an in-flight connectivity service that reflects the brand image of each airline and its passengers, according to Global Eagle.

Under the partnership, Row 44, a subsidiary of Global Eagle Entertainment, will provide its satellite-based in-flight connectivity platform and its efficient program management capabilities. The company will also assist in the development and operation of advanced in-flight services to increase passenger loyalty and airline revenues, according to Global Eagle.

“[The partnership] allows us to leverage our experience to date with the satellite connectivity we’ve been working with now for 10 years. And we know that we’re ready today to be able to offer a truly outstanding product to airlines and their passengers,” Guidon said regarding benefits of the partnership for Global Eagle.

Additionally, Thaicom will assist Global Eagle in building a satellite network infrastructure within the region that offers airlines with services such as global satellite connectivity, network security and policy compliance management, customer billing, customer services, content delivery, and Wi-Fi and Internet Service Provider (ISP) support, according to Global Eagle.

The partnership with Thaicom is aligned with Global Eagle’s expansion plans into Asia, explained Guidon. Currently, Global Eagle delivers connectivity services to more than 500 aircraft worldwide. The IFEC company started out in America, expanded into Europe, and is now focusing on South Asia. “We’re actually on four continents already. This is a logical new market extension for us, a lot of activity in the area,” he said.

Looking forward, Global Eagle’s expansion plans will follow the strategy that has brought the company success so far. “It’s a global market for us and, primarily, what our expansion strategy has been is to build strength in dense markets and this is part of that strategy. We have coverage now over all of North America, Trans-Atlantic, Europe, as well as coverage in South Africa,” Guidon said. “If you consider those major areas of coverage, we’re working our way around the globe and South Asia and then the Pacific would be the next two obvious choices.”

Additionally, Global Eagle’s portfolio may come to include maritime entertainment and connectivity solutions. “What we’ve seen is that now there’s a surprising amount of interest in the service – not just from airborne, but also our maritime folks, which is not something that we’ve really been focusing on. There may be some activity there and we will see how that develops,” Guidon added.