SWIFT 64 SWIFT64 QUESTIONS

What is Swift64?

Who needs Swift64?

When will Swift64 be available?

Who is offering the Swift64 service?

How can I get Swift64 equipment installed in my aircraft?

What communications capabilities does Swift64 offer?

How can passengers and crew access Swift64?

What can passengers and crew do with Swift64?

Where will the Swift64 service be available?

I already have Inmarsat satellite communications aboard my aircraft. Will Swift64 be compatible with my existing arrangements?

Is Swift64 certified for safety-related applications such as air traffic control communications?

What is Swift64?
Swift64 is Inmarsat's newest data communications service offering to airlines and business aircraft operators. It combines unprecedented 64kbit/s speed with access to two of the world's commonest and most useful data formats, ISDN and Internet Protocol (IP).
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Who needs Swift64?
Airline, corporate and VIP aircraft operators aiming to give their passengers the best available global
in-flight data communications - as good as anything they can get in their offices on the ground.
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When will Swift64 be available?
Swift64 will be commercially available to business and VIP operators from summer 2002.
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Who is offering the Swift64 service?
Inmarsat operates the ground and satellite network that will carry Swift64 communications.
It is supported by partner companies selling airborne equipment – satellite avionics and antenna subsystems – and access to the Inmarsat network. To get set up for Swift64, the aircraft operator needs to deal with:

a service provider

an equipment manufacturer
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How can I get Swift64 equipment installed in my aircraft?
Over more than 10 years of aeronautical operations Inmarsat has built up relationships with airframe manufacturers, completion centres and aircraft modification specialists capable of designing and implementing satellite communications installations and obtaining the approvals needed for their use.
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What communications capabilities does Swift64 offer?
A typical Swift64 airborne terminal will support multiple simultaneous channels. Depending on end-user requirements at any given time, these can take the form of:

All Mobile ISDN channels operating at the full ISDN speed of 64kbit/s, each one dedicated to
a single user

All Mobile Packet Data channels, each one shared among a number of users and operating
at a data rate governed by the number of users

A combination of the two
Mobile ISDN is better for the transmission of large files or applications demanding the highest possible speed. Mobile Packet Data is a very economical solution in applications requiring intermittent bursts of data rather than a continuous flow, such as e-mail or the web.
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How can passengers and crew access Swift64?
Swift64 will be accessible via existing or installed equipment aboard the aircraft, including the cabin
in-flight entertainment and communications network and connection points for passenger laptops and personal digital assistants (PDAs).
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What can passengers and crew do with Swift64?
Passenger applications include:

E-mail

Access to the Web and corporate networks

Transfer of large files (audio, still and video images)

e-commerce transactions.
Crew applications include:
Operational e-mail

Flight plan and electronic documentation updates

Graphical weather information

Engine monitoring and fault reporting

Updating of inflight entertainment content and web pages cached for passenger access on the aircraft local-area network

Transmission to airline ground systems of information on cabin consumables, crew duty times, and passenger data and survey results

Reception of destination information, including gate numbers for connecting flights

Delay management, including booking of passenger accommodation

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Where will the Swift64 service be available?
Every region of the world that is covered by the high-power spot beams of the Inmarsat 3 satellites. The spot-beams are designed to provide capacity in areas where communications demand is high, so Swift64 service will be obtainable on all of the world's most frequented long-distance air routes.
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I already have Inmarsat satellite communications aboard my aircraft. Will Swift64 be compatible with my existing arrangements?
Swift 64 avionics are physically and electronically compatible with the onboard provision for earlier Inmarsat aeronautical satellite systems and will work through existing high-gain antenna subsystems.
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Is Swift64 certified for safety-related applications, such as air traffic control communications?
The International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for aeronautical satellite communications do not define a safety function for Swift64.
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