FAQ
How long does it take to install the Row 44 Broadband System?
Answer
Installation time depends on the configuration and on the facility performing the installation. Generally, though, an installation takes between 5 and 7 days.
Are you installed on commercial planes right now?
Answer
Yes, we have Southwest Airlines planes flying over the United States and Norwegian Air Shuttle’s planes flying over Europe.
How does the private-labeled portal work?
Answer
The private-labeled portal is a menu of Wi-Fi services you can offer passengers, beyond the standard full Internet session you’ll be selling (or giving away for free). This way, you can monetize more of the plane – capturing revenue from many of your Wi-Fi-enabled passengers who choose not to purchase Internet service.
The private-labeled portal includes IPTV, video and audio content, shopping sites, texting, games, travel information and exclusive offers from your airline and your partners… and the passenger can access all of this content without paying for access to the web. Row 44, your airline, and the content owners and advertisers all share in the revenue.
Answer
Ku-band is the here-and-now technology providing the fastest broadband speeds for commercial aviation. Ka-band is a promising future technology, and Row 44 will be at the forefront to lead airlines into a Ka-band passenger broadband offering when Ka-band technology becomes more defined. We guarantee it!
Right now, Ka-band is not available globally and terminal equipment is a long way from being considered dependable enough or commercially acceptable for the AMSS application. As the unquestioned world leader in the areas of AMSS satellite antenna development, integration and turnkey service provision, Row 44 is uniquely qualified to assess this technology.
There are a few things to consider:
a. Ka-band satellites have not yet launched in most places around the globe
b. Like any future technology, delays are likely
c. In the US, at least, no company has applied for, let alone received, a license to operate Ka-band on commercial planes. This application process on known technologies can take upwards of a year, let alone new technologies
d. No company yet knows what this will cost, so it is impossible to know whether it will be economically viable for each particular airline’s needs.
e. Those airlines who delay will likely lose market share, especially if there is a delay which is likely.
Having said all that, we too believe Ka-band will inevitably become a viable possibility for some airlines, based on their specific needs, so we are investing heavily in Ka-band.
In fact, because several hardware components in Row 44’s broadband entertainment platform operate across both technologies, Row 44’s then existing airline partners operating with our Ku-band system will be able to migrate to Ka-band with minimal hardware upgrades or modifications to their aircraft.
As the very dynamic circumstances around Ka-band change, we will update those changes here on our website. We intend to be transparent about this since we will be there with Ka-band as an offering and an upgrade path when Ka-band becomes more tangible. Please check back here to row44.com for updates on our Ka-band plans and Ka-band in general, or you can subscribe to our RSS feed for those updates in real time.
Why shouldn’t we just use L-Band?
Answer
L-band is a low-bandwidth solution that is 20X slower than our solution. L-band will not support your passengers’ demand for high-speed internet usage or other bandwidth-hungry applications such as graphics-rich games, etc.
Can we offer your services piecemeal — for example, only in-flight TV or GSM?
Answer
Absolutely!
As the airline, you can determine which broadband services you will make available to your passengers. Once you have made the investment in outfitting your fleet with broadband, though, we believe the best way to realize the highest ROI – and to offer your passengers the best in-flight experience possible – is to give them as many connectivity options as you can.
Row 44 lets you offer passengers high-speed internet access, in-flight e-commerce, bookable destination services, text messaging, movies and other video content, IPTV, games and more.
How does the private-labeled portal work?
Answer
The private-labeled portal is a menu of Wi-Fi services you can offer passengers, beyond the standard full Internet session you’ll be selling (or giving away for free). This way, you can monetize more of the plane – capturing revenue from many of your Wi-Fi-enabled passengers who choose not to purchase Internet service.
The private-labeled portal includes IPTV, video and audio content, shopping sites, texting, games, travel information and exclusive offers from your airline and your partners… and the passenger can access all of this content without paying for access to the web. Row 44, your airline, and the content owners and advertisers all share in the revenue.
Answer
Ku-band is the here-and-now technology providing the fastest broadband speeds for commercial aviation. Ka-band is a promising future technology, and Row 44 will be at the forefront to lead airlines into a Ka-band passenger broadband offering when Ka-band technology becomes more defined. We guarantee it!
Right now, Ka-band is not available globally and terminal equipment is a long way from being considered dependable enough or commercially acceptable for the AMSS application. As the unquestioned world leader in the areas of AMSS satellite antenna development, integration and turnkey service provision, Row 44 is uniquely qualified to assess this technology.
There are a few things to consider:
a. Ka-band satellites have not yet launched in most places around the globe
b. Like any future technology, delays are likely
c. In the US, at least, no company has applied for, let alone received, a license to operate Ka-band on commercial planes. This application process on known technologies can take upwards of a year, let alone new technologies
d. No company yet knows what this will cost, so it is impossible to know whether it will be economically viable for each particular airline’s needs.
e. Those airlines who delay will likely lose market share, especially if there is a delay which is likely.
Having said all that, we too believe Ka-band will inevitably become a viable possibility for some airlines, based on their specific needs, so we are investing heavily in Ka-band.
In fact, because several hardware components in Row 44’s broadband entertainment platform operate across both technologies, Row 44’s then existing airline partners operating with our Ku-band system will be able to migrate to Ka-band with minimal hardware upgrades or modifications to their aircraft.
As the very dynamic circumstances around Ka-band change, we will update those changes here on our website. We intend to be transparent about this since we will be there with Ka-band as an offering and an upgrade path when Ka-band becomes more tangible. Please check back here to row44.com for updates on our Ka-band plans and Ka-band in general, or you can subscribe to our RSS feed for those updates in real time.
Can we offer your services piecemeal — for example, only in-flight TV or GSM?
Answer
Absolutely!
As the airline, you can determine which broadband services you will make available to your passengers. Once you have made the investment in outfitting your fleet with broadband, though, we believe the best way to realize the highest ROI – and to offer your passengers the best in-flight experience possible – is to give them as many connectivity options as you can.
Row 44 lets you offer passengers high-speed internet access, in-flight e-commerce, bookable destination services, text messaging, movies and other video content, IPTV, games and more.
