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Air-to-ground (A2G) in-flight connectivity specialist SkyFive, which recently announced its entry into the Indonesian market, is aiming to roll out a belt of interoperable A2G networks spanning from Europe to China.
SkyFive was created through a 2019 management buyout of Nokia’s former inflight-connectivity arm. It was this part of Nokia that worked with Inmarsat and Deutsche Telecom to create the European Aviation Network (EAN), the first integrated A2G and satellite network in Europe. Since then, SkyFive has rolled out a second A2G network in Saudi Arabia, providing connectivity to LCC flynas.
A2G works from land-based masts, meaning aircraft can be fitted with smaller lower-drag antennas, making it faster and cheaper than satellite-based connectivity. However, as A2G is ground-based, it does not typically cover large bodies of water like oceans.
SkyFive CEO Thorsten Robrecht told Aviation Week Network that a Saudi Arabian investment fund—Space Communications for Information Technology Group (SCIT Group)—is providing €100 million ($108 million) to support SkyFive’s global deployment over the coming three years. Plans are underway to form a belt of A2G networks, covering “the global south,” connecting Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region, to China.
Robrecht said A2G telecoms partnerships have already been signed in Egypt, South Africa and Turkey, with Indonesia as the latest addition, but the rollout is yet to begin in these markets. SkyFive is also negotiating other contracts that cannot be disclosed yet.
In past interviews, SkyFive detailed plans for A2G networks in Australia, China, Japan, Korea and New Zealand, as well as other undisclosed Middle East markets. Robrecht said the Australia, Japan, Korea and New Zealand projects have slowed down, but are still progressing. SkyFive China is very active, but different from the others. This is a partnership with independent Chinese company KongLu. “We are working together, but not controlling or owning the China business,” Robrecht said.
He noted that Indonesia—where SkyFive will soon begin trials—is pivotal in the APJ region rollout. A2G will initially be deployed on Indonesia’s high-density domestic routes and gradually extended to cover the entire airspace.
Robrecht also shared two other developments. A new roaming agreement means passengers will be able to connect seamlessly between SkyFive’s A2G networks. For example, Lufthansa passengers using EAN will be able to use SkyFive’s Middle East A2G.
Secondly, SkyFive has developed upgraded its aircraft equipment so fewer ground-based masts are needed, creating better coverage and reducing operating costs. This extended range was needed to give full connectivity across Indonesia and its islands, which are separated by extensive stretches of water.
When asked about how the rise in popularity of Starlink inflight connectivity—which uses low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites—might affect A2G, Robrecht replied that satellite services can work in tandem with A2G, extending coverage across large bodies of water. For example, EAN uses both geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites and A2G.
“Starlink and the LEOs in general are a good complementary service for A2G,” Robrecht said. “But it is competition, absolutely. Even though it’s complementary, it’s competition.”
Further developments in SkyFive’s Europe-to-China rollout are anticipated over the coming weeks..
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