OTTAWA and PARIS, June 19, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- EMS SATCOM, a division of EMS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ELMG), announced today at the Paris Air Show, that a Fortune 100 corporate aircraft has been performing in-flight trials of EMS SATCOM's eNfusion(tm) SwiftBroadband communications system since early 2007 on flights between cities in both the United States and Europe.
As of today, passengers on two BBJ aircraft will have performed advanced tests of the Early Entry SwiftBroadband service for a total flight time of more than 300 hours. Even in these early days of the service, EMS SATCOM's flight-test team reports that the system is supporting 10 simultaneous users surfing the web, using e-mail services, and performing file transfers, with an average speed of 200-300 kbps.
The systems being used for testing the Early Entry SwiftBroadband services include EMS SATCOM's eNfusion CNX(r) Cabin Gateway family of networking equipment, an AMT-50 High-gain Antenna and radome, and an HSD-400 High-Speed Data Terminal.
"These successful trials affirm what EMS SATCOM and Inmarsat have been projecting as the solution for in-flight high-speed Internet connectivity is now almost a reality," says John Broughton, EMS SATCOM vice president of Product Development. "There is still work to do through the rest of this year, including testing with the upgraded ground network, but we are satisfied with the performance of the system so far."
Jean Menard, EMS SATCOM vice president of Commercial Sales, noted, "I have been extremely proud of the team that has collaborated closely to prove the capabilities of this new service. We have been working with our customers and partners to ensure that the promise of SwiftBroadband is realized in business, air transport and military platforms."
The early success of EMS SATCOM's SwiftBroadband trials is a demonstration of its continuing leadership in providing robust Inmarsat-based equipment. The alpha and beta trials that will follow this July and August with other global operators are the next steps in the progression to the scheduled launch of commercially-available SwiftBroadband services, later this year.
"Over the last years we have seen the demand for in-flight connectivity drastically increase and today 23 of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies are using Inmarsat on their aircraft," says Lars Ringertz, Head of Aero Marketing at Inmarsat. "SwiftBroadband is the key to further penetration of this market and these flight trials show that Inmarsat and its partners are on track for the commercial service introduction of the service later this year."
About EMS Technologies, Inc.
EMS Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:ELMG) is a wireless and satellite communication solutions leader, serving aeronautical, defense, maritime, commercial space and supply chain markets. Through its LXE, EMS SATCOM, and Defense & Space Systems divisions, EMS keeps people, systems and data connected, wherever they are -- on the ground, in the warehouse, in the air, or in space. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, employs approximately 1,000 people worldwide and operates major manufacturing facilities in Atlanta and Ottawa, Canada.
EMS SATCOM specializes in the design and development of satellite-based terminals and antennas for the aeronautical, ground-mobile, maritime and emergency management markets. A leading supplier of Swift64 high-speed data communications equipment, its eNfusion Broadband(tm) product line enables voice, e-mail, videoconferencing and Internet capabilities on a broad variety of aircraft under its own brand and those of the three major avionics manufactures. Its tracking and messaging systems business delivers crucial capabilities to force tracking systems, as well as to the transport industry and a variety of service vehicles. A pioneer in Search and Rescue solutions, EMS SATCOM also provides leading-edge software and hardware that has helped save tens-of-thousands of lives around the globe. Based in Ottawa, Canada, and a division of EMS Technologies, Inc., it employs approximately 300 people in development and sales offices in Ottawa, the U.K., the United States and Europe. Visit www.emssatcom.com for more information.
For more information, visit EMS on the World Wide Web at www.ems-t.com.
NOTE TO EDITORS: EMS SATCOM is exhibiting at the Paris Airshow, Booth Hall 3/E7/1.
Product images: http://www.ems-t.com/press/satcom/ParisAS2007