Qatar Airways will be first in the world to know where its planes are, minute by minute

Qatar Airways will be the global launch customer of GlobalBeacon, a technology solution by Aireon and FlightAware that is designed to provide up-to-the minute global tracking of all aircraft equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) in 2018, approximately three years before the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) recommendation for compliance by 2021.

Source: Qatar Airways. Plane in Qatar Airways livery in action.

GlobalBeacon combines FlightAware’s worldwide flight tracking information, including origin, destination, flight plan route, position, and estimated time of arrival with data from Aireon’s space-based ADS-B aircraft surveillance system, due to be operational in 2018. The solution will provide Qatar Airways with state-of-the-art technology to meet and exceed Global Aeronautical Distress Safety System (GADSS) requirements and recommendations.

In addition to aircraft tracking and location reporting requirements, GADSS requires aircraft to provide immediate notification of abnormal events, regardless of air traffic unit boundaries and without a degradation of baseline search and rescue services. Further, distressed aircraft status tracking under GADSS can be activated by the pilot, automatically by the aircraft and remotely by the operations control centre.

Announced by ICAO in March of 2016, the GADSS was created to help improve the ability to detect commercial aircraft in remote locations. The key components of GADSS recommend that aircraft report their position to the airline’s operations centre at a minimum of once every 15 minutes under normal flight circumstances. However, if an aircraft should become in distress, position reports are then to be provided every minute. GlobalBeacon will provide a permanent minute-by-minute reporting capability, exceeding the ICAO recommendation.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, HE Akbar Al Baker, said: “As one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, both our needs, and our drive to deliver the very best services for our global passengers, are continually evolving. GlobalBeacon will seamlessly integrate with our existing ICAO 2018 compliant flight watch technology (Total Operations System), and further enhance our fleet management by providing updates every minute.

“I am proud of Qatar Airways’ leadership in this vital area of aviation safety and awareness. We will be the first airline in the world to have the capability to use worldwide satellite air surveillance to support our airline operations and to achieve the highest level of flight tracking standards ahead of the ICAO 2021 mandate.”

“Qatar Airways is a leader in the aviation industry, and their proactive approach to implementing the GADSS recommendations reinforces that point,” said Aireon CEO, Don Thoma. “With a modern fleet of 190 aircraft flying all over the world, across remote and oceanic airspace, Qatar Airways and GlobalBeacon are an ideal match and no new avionics will be required. We’re excited to welcome them as a partner.”

“With GlobalBeacon, Qatar Airways is getting the most state-of-the-art solution to meet GADSS recommendations in the industry,” said FlightAware CEO, Daniel Baker. “The adoption of this solution shows their commitment to their customers, employees and international community to help improve airlines and aviation stakeholder’s ability to locate aircraft in distress and improve search and rescue capabilities.”

Thuraya XT-PRO works in 160 countries, offers longer talk time

Thuraya Telecommunications Company today launched the Thuraya XT-PRO, which it says is the only satellite phone to feature built-in GPS, BeiDou and Glonass for accuracy and added security in every region. 

Source: Thuraya.
The XT-PRO.

Targeted at professional users across a range of market sectors including government, energy, media and NGOs, the Thuraya XT-PRO has a talk-time of up to 9 hours, and is jet-water, dust and shock resistant. Its hardened Gorilla glass display is the largest available on a satellite phone; and the screen is designed for glare resistance, which allows for optimal visibility in bright sunlight. In case of emergency, the Thuraya XT-PRO also has a dedicated SOS button with advanced navigation and tracking features for added safety.

Samer Halawi, Chief Executive Officer of Thuraya remarked: “The launch of the Thuraya XT-PRO reaffirms our leadership position in the mobile satellite phone sector. It houses all three major navigation systems, the longest talk-time, and the largest display on the market. Following the success of the SatSleeve and the XT-LITE, we continue to demonstrate our ability to disrupt the mobile satellite industry with ground-breaking products of the highest quality. The XT-PRO is ideal for our core customer base of professional satellite phone users who count on us to deliver highly reliable connectivity in some of the world’s toughest and most remote places.”

Halawi explained that Thuraya's satellite phone portfolio has been strengthened with the new flagship Thuraya XT–PRO for the professional user, while the existing Thuraya XT-LITE is for the casual user. "The XT-PRO’s feature upgrades and its sleek design reflect our aim to understand and continuously evaluate what users are looking for in a satellite phone,” he said.

The Thuraya XT-PRO allows users to enjoy ubiquitous coverage in areas that are not served or are under-served by terrestrial networks. The device also works as a security backup when natural or man-made disasters disrupt terrestrial communications. The XT-PRO can be used across the Thuraya network covering two thirds of the globe, including more than 160 countries. The phone can be used with a Thuraya prepaid or postpaid SIM card, or with a SIM card from any of Thuraya’s worldwide GSM roaming partners.

The Thuraya XT-PRO is available at all Thuraya Service Partners beginning April 30, 2015. 

Interested?

Check the list of local Thuraya Service Partners.

Fashion Television now available as a separate satellite channel in Asia

Source: Fashion Television website.

Fashionistas all over Asia can now receive the Fashion Television channel as a linear satellite channel. Fashion Television has been delivering fashion content from all over the world to audiences throughout Asia since 1999 as a content block, but the launch of a dedicated channel allows a population in excess of one billion to access its programming 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.

London-based owner Fashion Television International chose Asiasat 7 operated by Hong-Kong based Asiasat Satellite Telecommunications Co. at orbital position 105.5 East with a footprint reaching from Saudi Arabia in the northwest to New Zealand in the southeast.

"Fashion Television is excited about its launch as a dedicated channel in a region in which we know we already have many fans," says Ralph Siebenaler, who spearheads the international expansion of Fashion Television as the new CEO of Fashion Television's international headquarters, where all activities in Europe and Asia are coordinated under a new management team.

"Asia has become the growth engine for the fashion industry, with most fashion brands booking record revenue quarter after record revenue quarter, while the rest of the world is lagging," said Siebenaler.