Satellite communications company, Viasat, has today unveiled JetXP, the title for a series of enhancements to its satellite network and service model that can benefit its in-flight connectivity customers in the business aviation sector. Viasat’s Jet ConneX customers will be the first to benefit from performance improvements on selected service plans, including new features such as uncapped speeds, expanded capacity, and increased network prioritisation.
According to Viasat, hundreds of existing customers are currently trialling the JetXP programme, which has been developed following consultation with customers, partners and research agencies, in addition to analysis of usage trends over the past year. Viasat says the research indicated that expectations around business aviation connectivity have evolved “considerably”, with speed-based plans now outdated, especially those that advertise a top-speed without details around when, where and how frequently it will be achieved.
This sentiment was further reinforced by the results of Viasat’s 2024 business aviation in-flight connectivity survey, which found that reliability, coverage, consistency, value for money and overall experience (including customer service and 24/7 global support) were deemed more important than fast connectivity speeds alone. Instead, the focus has switched to the overall experience.
Viasat reports that initial results from JetXP customer trials have been positive, with data-hungry applications such as bulk file transfers, real-time entertainment and web browsing becoming more reliable, consistent and ‘snappy’.
Kai Tang, head of business aviation at Viasat, said of the initiative: “JetXP is the latest example of Jet ConneX’s continuous evolution and offers an entirely different way of thinking, for Viasat and the market as whole. By enhancing our network and unleashing its full power to business aviation customers, we’ll consistently meet a defined quality of experience across different applications, devices and flight routes, from the busiest airports to the most remote locations. And customer trials have already shown these are not empty promises; we have data to back our claims from hundreds of real operators on our live network.
“This marks a turning point. Until now, connectivity providers have used speed and allowances to determine which service plan a business aviation customer should be placed on, with complicated service level agreements that are often difficult to assess. However, this approach does not resonate with today’s market,” added Tang.
“Customers are savvy enough to understand that speed alone will never meet their requirements, and beyond a certain bandwidth threshold, higher speed has little impact on actual passenger experience. As the breadth and depth of criteria used to assess connectivity becomes more mature, the days of speed test decision-making are over. Operators are looking at the overall experience. and that’s where JetXP really excels.”
JetXP is also a step towards harmonising Viasat’s business aviation service and network management strategy, following its acquisition of Inmarsat last year. “JetXP is a unique proposition that could only be achieved following the coming together of Viasat and Inmarsat as two in-flight connectivity leaders in business aviation,” continued Tang.
