APEX TECH 2026: Edge Caching and Streaming Reshape the Future of Inflight Content
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At APEX TECH 2026, the software layer behind in-flight entertainment (IFE) took center stage during a panel moderated by APEX CEO Dr. Joe Leader. The session brought together five industry leaders with different perspectives: Siden Head of Business Development and Partnerships Glenn Gonzales, Safran Senior Director of Passenger Services Clare Josey, Quvia Aviation Product Manager Isaac Stasevich, Spafax Vice President of Business Development for IFE Technology and Innovation Dimitrios Tsirangelos, and Axinom CEO Ralph Wagner.
Together, they explored how edge caching, streaming, and data orchestration are shifting from behind-the-scenes technology into core building blocks of the inflight experience. The discussion focused on how rising expectations for nonstop streaming and faster content updates are pushing airlines to balance big ideas with licensing limits, complex supply chains, and systems that actually work inflight.
Airline Ambition Meets Technical Reality
Dr. Leader opened the session by framing the discussion about the shift away from hardware and into software, content, and data intelligence. That shift, he argued, will determine whether inflight experiences scale successfully.
“We’re seeing how shifting from platforms and hardware into software, content, and data edge intelligence determines whether the inflight experience will actually work at this new scale,” Dr. Leader said.
Tsirangelos described how airline expectations are changing, but not always clearly defined. “We’re seeing a shift in the mindset of the airlines,” he said. “Some of them, they don’t know what they want. The bottom line is they want passengers to experience what they experience at home.”
That gap exposes the tension between ambition and operational reality. Airlines want streaming, dynamic libraries, and faster refresh cycles, but they are still operating within legacy systems and strict rights frameworks.
“They are asking all of us questions like, what is possible, what can we do, and how can we securely get content to our passengers without infringing any rights,” Tsirangelos said. “That’s why we’re here, to orchestrate all this.”
Gonzales added that those expectations often underestimate the complexity behind streaming at scale. “We hear things like, I just want to enable this Netflix app and have it launch next week,” he said. “The complexity around that is very difficult.”
He explained that streaming performance depends on more than bandwidth. “You’re never going to cache the entire catalog of a streamer,” Gonzales said. “It’s really about network awareness and content awareness.”
Josey added that the challenge goes far beyond connectivity. “We can get content to the aircraft in real time. We can get it immediately before departure. We can even get it while it’s flying,” she said. “The biggest challenge is the workflow and the supply chain.”
Studios, distributors, and airlines operate on different timelines, and aligning those processes remains one of the biggest barriers to scaling streaming onboard. “Airlines underestimate what’s involved in that entire ecosystem,” Josey said.
Rethinking the Content Supply Chain and Licensing Models
As airlines continue to move toward more dynamic libraries and frequent refresh cycles, the traditional content supply chain is under immense strain. Tsirangelos said the industry needs to rethink how content is licensed, bundled, and distributed.
“This is completely new,” Tsirangelos said. “We need to rethink the licensing models with the studios.”
He explained that new delivery models change everything from bundling to distribution. “There are so many different ways of delivering content now, whether video on demand, FAST channels, or other formats,” he said. “When we talk about infinite libraries, new models need to be agreed between content providers, platforms, and studios.”
Dr. Leader followed up by asking whether app-based streaming models pose an existential threat to traditional content service providers. Tsirangelos argued the opposite. “The future role of the CSP is orchestration,” he said. “Orchestrating rights, recommendations, and how content is delivered using data.”
Josey noted that dynamic swap-in and swap-out models introduce new complexities around auditability. “You need really solid audit trails,” she said. “Upstream distributors and rights holders have to be paid based on usage. That reporting becomes critical.”
Wagner added that DRM (Digital Rights Management) will remain non-negotiable, regardless of how flexible systems become. “You never unlock DRM,” he said. “The DRM license defines when content is consumable.”
He explained that pre-positioning content does not mean violating rights. “You can put content onboard early, but the license defines when you can start streaming it and when you stop,” Wagner said. “That gives airlines flexibility without breaking compliance.”
Josey added that studios will never approach this in unison. “Every studio is going to be different,” she said. “Some will allow more flexibility. Some will not.”
Edge Caching Intelligence Over Bandwidth
As connectivity improves, Dr. Leader posed an important question. Does higher bandwidth reduce the need for edge caching, or make it more important? All the panelists agreed that edge intelligence becomes more critical, not less.
“For me, it becomes more important,” Gonzales said. “As new content types emerge, gaming, high-definition video, interactive services, you cannot just stream everything.”
He pointed out that even modest increases in stream quality quickly multiply at scale. “Five or six megabits per second times 200 or 300 passengers adds up fast,” he said. “You have to optimize around network awareness.”
Josey framed edge caching as a tool for curation just as much as performance. “Just because you can stream everything does not mean you should,” she said. “Airlines still want to curate the experience.”
She introduced a future where micro-assets, highly personalized content, may only appeal to a handful of passengers on a given flight. “That is where edge intelligence shines,” Josey said. “You bring in what you need, keep it as long as it performs, and then remove it.”
Wagner drew parallels to the broader internet. “Netflix is not streaming from headquarters,” he said. “They put content as close as possible to the consumer. On an aircraft, the closest place is onboard.”
Stasevich added that higher bandwidth actually increases demand. “It’s induced demand,” he said. “The more bandwidth you give, the more people are going to ask to use it.” That includes analytics, operational systems, and third-party services, not just entertainment. “Everyone wants to move more data on and off the aircraft,” he said.
Data Products and the Hybrid Edge Model
The discussion then turned to data. Stasevich said airlines are clear about what they want to do with data, but less clear about how to move it without hurting the passenger experience. “The goal is clear,” he said. “Bring the data into AI models, personalize experiences, and do that without impacting passengers.”
The challenge lies in deciding what processing happens onboard versus in the cloud. “There will always be a balance,” Stasevich said. “You need onboard compute to process and cache data, and then offload it when it does not impact the passenger experience.”
Wagner described the future as inherently hybrid. “Some processing will be done on the ground because it is more efficient,” he said. “Some will be done onboard because it has to be.”
That hybrid approach extends beyond entertainment. Wagner cited crew applications, operational data, onboard shopping, and even real-time support as use cases that benefit from edge-cloud collaboration.
“What matters is whether the onboard architecture is open,” he said. “Can you add another server? Can you run software onboard that was written for the cloud?”
Josey added that standards and IP-based architectures will be critical to future-proofing fleets. “Airlines need to be able to deploy applications quickly,” she said.
Future Ready Decisions and the Role of Intelligence
In the final round, the panel looked ahead to future tradeoffs. As content formats shift toward shorter, more snackable experiences, assumptions around reuse and caching change.
Tsirangelos said short-form content already performs well in ground environments like lounges. “Nobody sits in a lounge to watch a two-hour movie,” he said. “Shorter content is becoming more interesting.”
Gonzales noted that short-form content often requires less data, but still benefits from intelligence. “If something goes viral, that is when you want to push it to other edge caches,” he said.
Josey differentiated between lean-back and lean-forward experiences. “Seatback is still a lean-back experience,” she said. “But personal devices allow for different content types. The system needs the intelligence to decide where each asset belongs.”
As the session closed, the message was consistent across the panel. Edge caching and streaming are no longer niche technical topics. They sit at the center of how airlines scale content, manage cost, and protect the passenger experience.