Saudi Telecom Co (STC) inaugurated its latest innovation in in-flight call technology through a live call made on a 30,000 feet-high on board of a plane heading to Jeddah from Riyadh, with the video call being directly transmitted to to the GITEX Technology in Dubai.
The service allows for in-flight video calls by equipping airplanes with mobile data and broadband through signals from LTE ground-based stations which boast many features compared to older technologies which rely on satellites. This will enable airlines and other stakeholders to provide better services than currently-adopted older standards at a lower cost per mb, higher data transfer rate of up to 75 mb/s, and a lower delay time.
In this context, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Business at STC, Dr. Tareq Enaya said that, “in-flight call technology is one of many other examples that illustrate the way STC is working with its partners and customers to provide the latest products and services and thus improve services offered to airlines and service providers.The new in-flight call service offers state-of-the-art features, including stable connection and high-speed connectivity.This makes it indeed the next generation of transmission technology, which will open new horizons in terms of products and services.”He further pointed out to all the areas which could benefit from this new technology, including airlines, media and entertainment, natural resource exploration, safety and security, and telecommunications. In this sense STC addressed its potential customers at GITEX with expectations that demand will be high on this new product.
On another hand, Crown Prince of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited the company’s stand at GITEX 2018 Dubai and was received by Dr. Tareq Enaya, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Business at STC. His Highness reviewed the latest services and solutions launched by the company in telecom and IT in line with its role as a driver for digital services and transformation in Saudi Arabia as per Saudi Vision 2030.
STC is currently working with various stakeholders and partners to enrich this new technology, including Nokia for LTE phone devices, Thales for on-board equipment, EAD for supplementary technical certification, AMAC for maintenance, repairs, and operation for on-board installation, and Sky Prime, a private charter airline on whose planes the technology is being tested directly.
Source: STC Press Release