[Satellite Today – 2-19-08] Aeronautical satellite services for commercial passenger aircraft and business jets will reach more than 27,000 in-service units and generate retail revenues of $1.7 billion by 2013, according to a report released Feb. 14 by NSR.
    NSR predicts that the Middle East, Africa and Asia will show the strongest growth rates, but North America will remain the leader with twice as many units as Europe and 50 percent more units installed in the next six years. L-band units will comprise the majority of installed equipment with most at both ends of the aircraft spectrum for both broadband and narrowband services.
    "Satellite services are an important piece of the puzzle to enable usage of mobile phones, laptops, PDAs and other communications devices onboard aircraft," Claude Rousseau, senior analyst for NSR and author of the report, said in a statement. "… In combining satellite links with technologies such as picocells and Wi-Fi networks, the aeronautical market is creating a compelling case for new mass market services."