LiveTV, TrueNorth and Satcom Direct Team to Develop Next-Generation Magnastar™ System

MELBOURNE, Fla., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- LiveTV Airfone LLC, TrueNorth Avionics Inc. and Satcom Direct Inc. have announced plans to develop and market a next-generation Magnastar™ system that will be the first terrestrial network to encompass voice, data, Wi-Fi, smartphone support, e-mail, text messaging and multichannel VoIP for a complete business solution.  Available in 2011, the new Magnastar™ system will be based on a hardware concept derived from TrueNorth's open-architecture Simphone OpenCabin™ system, and will be available both for new customers and as an upgrade for existing Magnastar™ operators. Service will be managed by Satcom Direct and will include Airfone®'s current voice and data services while adding Iridium satellite communications when the aircraft is out of Airfone® range.

TrueNorth and LiveTV will co-develop the new system's hardware by combining a new Magnastar™ radio with TrueNorth's advanced Simphone OpenCabin airborne telecom solution. The new system will use LiveTV's exclusive 1-Mhz air-to-ground frequency license, which provides a dedicated spectrum allocation for these capabilities. Among the features that won't change are the superior voice quality and broad coverage of Airfone®'s continental US (CONUS)-wide network. "It's a perfect match of network, hardware and value-added services," said Mike Moeller, VP of Sales for LiveTV. "It's also a great way for both new and current Magnastar™ customers to affordably get the communications they want."

Satcom Direct will be the service provider for billing and customer support, and will also provide customers with access to its other popular airborne business services, such as Global One Number and Flight Deck Freedom. "We love the low cost, simplicity and global reach of this product," commented Jim Jensen, President and CEO of Satcom Direct. "Many of our customers have been waiting for a direct replacement of the Magnastar™ system to become part of our Global One Number service, and the next-generation Magnastar™ system will give them the quality they have always enjoyed while adding a wealth of new capabilities."

As the manufacturer of the new hardware platform, TrueNorth will market the new Magnastar™ equipment and provide system integration and implementation. "The pieces have really come together nicely in this endeavor," said Mark van Berkel, President and CEO of TrueNorth Avionics. "This represents a 'win-win' situation for business aviation operators who are tired of having to spend a lot of money to equip their aircraft with many different systems from many different suppliers to meet all of their airborne communications needs."

About LiveTV

LiveTV is the world's leading provider of live in-flight entertainment and connectivity systems for commercial airlines. Founded in 1998 in Melbourne, Florida, LiveTV has installation and maintenance locations around the world to support the more than 700 aircraft equipped with its products. Current customers include Continental, JetBlue, Frontier, AirTran, Air One, Virgin Blue and WestJet. For a full listing of products and partners, or for more information, please visit www.livetv.net. LiveTV is a wholly-owned subsidiary of JetBlue Airways.

About Satcom Direct Inc

Founded in 1997, Satcom Direct is the leading innovator of satellite voice, fax, and broadband data service solutions for business and general aviation, military, government, emergency response, media, and other industries that demand secure and reliable global communications. Its primary product, Global One Number®, is an advanced connection service for aeronautical, maritime, and land mobile applications that makes satellite communications as reliable and simple to use as ground-based telephones.  Satcom Direct's extensive product portfolio also includes AeroV®, Aero X®, FlightDeck Freedom™ (FDF), One View™, Plane Simple®, and Satcom OnSite; Inmarsat's Classic Voice, Swift 64, and SwiftBroadband; Iridium Aero Services; and Yonder(SM) Mobile Broadband.  For more information regarding Satcom Direct, visit www.satcomdirect.com, e-mail [email protected], or call +1.321.777.3000.  

About TrueNorth Avionics

Headquartered in Ontario, Canada, with U.S. offices in New Jersey and the Kansas City area and distributor support in Dallas, TrueNorth Avionics, Inc., is a world-class technology company that develops integrated communications solutions for business aviation, including the revolutionary Simphone OpenCabin™ system, the standard for business communications in terms of performance, ease of use, reliability and personalization. Learn more at www.truenorthavionics.com.

SOURCE LiveTV