Ku Band Technical Working Group

Last Updated: September 17, 2008

Chairman: Peter Lemme – Consultant to Panasonic
APIM 07-008A: Ku-Band Satellite Hardware Installations and Equipment Interfaces

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Goal: Develop system-level standards for Ku-band satellite system installation, mechanical and electrical interfaces. Airlines, aircraft manufacturers, avionics suppliers, IFE suppliers, cabin communication suppliers and service providers are invited to participate in these activities.

Scope: Ku-band satellite equipment standards are expected to provide airlines with freedom of choice of their internet gateway service provider and the associated equipment. Internet gateway services are intended for airline passengers and crew. Passenger services will be provided in coordination with evolving cabin system standards and In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) standards.

Ku-band satellite services have the potential to yield a wide variety of service offerings with dedicated equipment that would otherwise require custom installation. To enable the wide-spread use of this equipment, standards will be developed for Ku-band satellite equipment hardware and electrical installation interfaces. Antenna mounting provisions will be developed to meet near-term aircraft needs.

Benefit: Ku-band satellite equipment is expected to deliver internet gateway services to airline passengers and crew, including internet, telephony, television, and so forth. Aircraft data may be collected and sent to the airline base. Standardization will simplify the Ku-band system definition and lower the cost of installation of this equipment.

• The benefit for airlines is freedom of choice in their internet gateway service provider.
• The benefit for airframe manufacturers is to reduce the amount of customization to aircraft and simplify the installation of Ku-band systems. Airframe manufacturers will have the ability to offer competitive solutions to meet the diverse needs of their customers.
• The benefit for avionics equipment suppliers is an expanding market for standardized equipment that is applicable to multiple airplane manufacturers and models.

These benefits are expected to be seen on the Airbus A350 and Boeing 747-8 initially, and in many retrofit aircraft programs.

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AEEC General Session (October 2007) Update:

AEEC approved APIM-07-008: Ku-Band Satellite Hardware Installations and Equipment Interfaces. This APIM was subsequently updated at AEEC Ku-Band Exploratory Meeting on December 4, 2007.

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Current Drafts:

Next Meeting Announcement:

Ku-Band Working Group (pdf, 12K)
September 23-25, 2008; Ottobrunn, Germany

Working Papers:

Last Meeting Report:

Ku-band Working Group
May 13-15, 2008; Annapolis, Maryland