Let The Wireless Internet Wars Begin Anew!

Those who recall our coverage of last year's National Business Aviation Association conference know how much the ANN staff enjoyed learning about the wide range of wireless internet systems available for bizav operators. Well, this year looks to be no exception... as one manfacturer plans to introduce what it calls the world's fastest wireless broadband antenna systems at NBAA 2006.

Based in Israel, Starling Advanced Communication Ltd. already provides a range of low profile, two-way Ku band antenna systems for aircraft. The company told ANN it plans to expand into wireless broadband in a big way... with two distinct offerings for a variety of aircraft commonly used in bizav applications.

Starling tells ANN the family is comprised of two ultra-small bidirectional antenna systems. The first, MIJET (diameter 30" – 75 cm, height 6" – 15 cm) is an antenna for large size, long-range business aircraft, as well as any wide or narrow body commercial aircraft. Starling says the MIJET recently passed its airworthiness test.

The second is MiniMIJET (diameter 16" – 40 cm, height 4" – 10 cm), an antenna system for medium and small size business aircraft.

Starling reports its new antennas will open new horizons for business travelers... enabling broadband in-flight applications, such as the Internet, Intranet, VPN, PDA, VoIP, e-mail, mobile phones, video conferencing, instant messaging and various entertainment applications such as video-on-demand, live TV, online gaming and multimedia applications.

In addition to their compact size, Starling says both antennas also set the highest level of performance and bit rate, with MIJET offering a transmission bit rate of up to 1.25 Mbps and reception bit rate from 10-15 Mbps. The smaller MiniMIJET is close, with transmission bit rates of up to 384 Kbps and reception bit rate from 3-5 Mbps.

Both antenna systems are easy to install and require only one cable connection into the aircraft. All electronic and RF units are housed inside the antenna for optimal ease of installation and maintenance.

"Both antenna systems create new opportunities for business aircraft owners," said Jacob Keret, VP Marketing and Sales of Starling. "The innovative antennas enable high-performance broadband services in all flight conditions, at the same service level as on the ground. Starling is committed to providing the industry's most advanced capabilities at an affordable cost."

Starling says the antennas have already attracted the interest of many aircraft owners, and first customers will be announced by the end of this year. MIJET's commercial version will be available in the first quarter of 2007, and MiniMIJET's commercial version in the third quarter of 2007.

MIJET and MiniMIJET are based on Starling’s patent-pending CoMPA (Coherent Multi-Panel Antenna) technology which enables data transmission and reception at true broadband bit rates via an extremely low profile antenna. CoMPA combines transmission/reception capabilities with advanced signal processing, making it possible to build exceptionally small, low profile antennas that are suitable for the full range of mobile platforms. All electronic units are housed inside the antenna.

CoMPA supports varied elevation angles -– enabling consistent global coverage, including over transatlantic and equatorial routes.

Founded in 2003, Starling develops small, low profile antennas that enable full-featured broadband connectivity on any mobile platform. Starling's first product is the MIJET family of low profile two-way Ku band antenna systems for aircraft, enabling unprecedented in-flight entertainment and personal communication services.

FMI: www.starling-com.com