Viasat Boosts JetXP Business Aviation Capacity Fivefold Across the U.S.
Why It MattersCapacity added by satellite-side and software changes rather than new hardware shows how connectivity providers can raise service levels across an installed base without taking aircraft out of service.
What happened
Viasat announced on Oct. 20, at the NBAA-BACE show in Las Vegas, that its JetXP inflight connectivity service now delivers five times more capacity in the U.S. for business aviation customers. The increase applies to aircraft using Honeywell JetWave satellite communications terminals.
The capacity boost was first implemented over the eastern U.S. and has since been expanded nationwide. Claudio D'Amico, Viasat vice president for business aviation, said most JetXP customers can get five times the capacity over the continental United States through a software upgrade.
The upgrade mostly happens over the air, though some configuration work is also involved.
Industry impact & what to watch
Business aviation connectivity has long been constrained by how much satellite capacity can be shared across aircraft flying the same airspace. An upgrade delivered largely by software, on terminals already installed, changes the economics of that constraint: the provider raises throughput for the existing fleet without a retrofit visit, which is the costly and schedule-sensitive step for operators.
For the segment, this kind of announcement tends to reset customer expectations. Operators and charter customers who judge a flight by whether video calls, streaming and cloud applications work in the cabin will compare services on delivered capacity, and a fivefold figure over the continental U.S. puts pressure on competing offerings to show comparable gains.
The next thing to look for is how widely the upgrade reaches JetXP customers beyond the eastern U.S. rollout, and whether the same approach is extended to coverage outside the continental United States.
