• Entertainment & Connectivity

APEX ASIA: Concepts Around Connectivity and Wi-Fi Streaming

November 4, 2014  | Written by Jessica Sammut

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Two sessions focused on connectivity at the APEX Asia Regional Conference: “Wi-Fi Streaming: Who, What, When” and “Connectivity Solutions Tailored for the Region.”

When asked about major misconceptions on connectivity in Asia, Terry Revnak, regional director of sales at Gogo, answered: “Passengers are very willing to pay for good connectivity service.” Jags Burhm, VP of Business Development, Asia & Asia Pacific region for Global Eagle Entertainment, highlighted that the carriers in the region need to use connectivity solutions. “Streaming IFE seems to be the trend in Asia,” added Burhm.

But does the trend towards Wi-Fi streaming (versus connectivity) put Asian carriers at a disadvantage? Ong Yong Beng, general manager, Images in Motion presented a case for both sides during his presentation “Wi-Fi Streaming: Who, What, When?” on day two of the conference.

On the plus side, streaming can cut significant costs for airlines in terms of fuel burned and total cost of ownership (TCO). It also eliminates the need for airlines and service providers to keep up with the latest smart devices on the market. On the flip side, streaming is a step back in terms of offer-ability to passengers, with concerns around bandwidth in the cabin, and restrictions on streaming early-window content to personal devices.

Yong Beng then introduced a panel of experts on the topic of Wi-Fi streaming to get their views on whether “connectivity will eventually kill streaming.” As a service provider who offers both products, Clare Josey, director of Global Marketing for Thales Avionics, doesn’t see connectivity as a streaming-killer ˆ’ rather, “aircraft connectivity is a complement to wireless streaming.” Kevin Clark of BlueBox Avionics shared the same sentiment: “There’s a whole wrath of services that the crew can do with a wireless network in the cabin. Connectivity won’t kill streaming, it will just add to it,” shares Clark. Mary Rogozinski, Manger of Content Partnerships with Gogo, highlighted the importance of passenger product awareness.

“I think it comes down to making people aware that it’s there. The business model drives the usage.”
ˆ’ Mary Rogozinski, Gogo

Gogo’s custom streaming platform for Delta Air Lines, “Delta Studio,” underlines the ongoing demand for a streaming product. Peter Schetschine, VP Customer Affairs, KID-Systeme, asserted to the success of their streaming product “SKYfi” with Cebu Pacific Air, which complements the existing wireless internet service onboard. “[Cebu Pacific] has been flying with wireless streaming for several months now and take-up rates are totally different than what you have from the internet system,” shares Schetschine.

And according to a recent survey conducted by KID-Systeme on passenger demand and in-flight connectivity, insights from the Asian market point to a 90% acceptance rate of streaming technologies among Chinese travelers. With these kinds of numbers, it’s clear that connectivity won’t be phasing out streaming any time soon and perhaps the best solution for airlines is to marry the use of personal devices with onboard connectivity.