Kontron Provides Airborne Equipment for Lufthansa Systems' End-to-End Wireless on Board IFE Solution
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Seattle, Washington and Poway, California - Kontron (formerly AP Avionx) today announced it will be a supplier for BoardConnect, the wireless onboard in-flight entertainment (IFE) solution from Lufthansa Systems. The core equipment from Kontron includes an ACE Flight(TM) 600 airborne video server and a Cab-n-Connect(TM) cabin wireless access point (CWAP) with integrated Wi-Fi antenna. In addition, Kontron will provide a wireless Inseat Display that is also available for airline carriers.
The Lufthansa Systems' BoardConnect solution is a full wireless audio/video on-demand system that allows airlines to interact with passengers to shape their own unique on-board experience. Kontron has developed broadband wireless systems for commercial aircraft from the ground up by designing the specified functionality and performance to meet stringent size, weight and cost requirements. Leveraging Kontron's engineering expertise, the company is uniquely positioned to address the multi-faceted challenge of wireless-in-the-sky, requiring experience in wireless networking, radio transmission, hardware design and ruggedization for airborne operations.
"The airborne equipment that Kontron will deliver to Lufthansa Systems leverages our years of successful avionics and rugged system integration experience," said Andy Mason, Business Unit Manager, Mil Aero Products Group at Kontron. "With recent advances in processor, storage and wireless technology, Kontron is able to supply components to Lufthansa Systems that result in impressive system-level performance with significant cost and weight reductions for airline customers. Kontron is also able to meet Lufthansa Systems' time-to-market and total cost of ownership goals."
As airlines are eliminating unnecessary weight from their aircraft, it is critical that wireless-in-the-sky deployments deliver the highest possible weight-to-revenue return. As a result, Kontron developed a modular CWAP unit to weigh about four pounds, minimizing size and cost. The bottom line for airlines is a fully certified wireless access point that is only two-thirds of the weight, size and cost of available alternatives.
BoardConnect gives passengers the ability to access information and entertainment using their own Wi-Fi-enabled personal electronic devices (PEDs) or the Kontron-developed Inseat Display Unit. Integrated into seatbacks, the Display Unit is an all wireless system that does not require any data wiring and features a minimal system footprint. It supports multiple passenger interfaces such as USB, analog video, and touchscreen.
"For too long, on-board infotainment has been a closed system, separate from all the other passenger services. BoardConnect changes the passenger experience by integrating everything that touches on entertainment and information into a wireless infotainment platform," said Dr. Joerg Liebe, CIO of Lufthansa Systems. "With the Kontron equipment, we are able to offer BoardConnect with a high-quality, low implementation cost that promises a virtually immediate return on investment."
The ACE Flight(TM) 600 airborne video server and a Cab-n-Connect(TM) cabin wireless access point (CWAP) used in the Lufthansa Systems BoardConnect solution will be on display in the Kontron booth #1222 at the APEX EXPO, September 12 - 15, 2011 in Seattle, Washington.
About Lufthansa Systems
Lufthansa Systems provides consulting and IT services for selected industries and has a leading position in the global aviation industry. The wholly-owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group offers its customers the entire range of IT-services, including consulting, development and implementation of industry solutions as well as operations. At its headquarters in Kelsterbach near Frankfurt/Main, Germany, the company operates one of the most modern data centers in Europe. Lufthansa Systems has offices in Germany and 16 other countries and employs about 3,000 people. In business year 2010, Lufthansa Systems recorded revenues of EUR 595 million.
About Kontron
Kontron is a global leader in embedded computing technology. With more than 30% of its employees in Research and Development, Kontron creates many of the standards that drive the world's embedded computing platforms. Kontron's product longevity, local engineering and support, and value-added services, helps create a sustainable and viable embedded solution for OEMs and system integrators. Kontron works closely with its customers on their embedded application-ready platforms and custom solutions, enabling them to focus on their core competencies. The result is an accelerated time-to-market, reduced total-cost-of-ownership and an improved overall application with leading-edge, highly-reliable embedded technology.
Kontron is listed on the German TecDAX stock exchange under the symbol "KBC". For more information, please visit: www.kontron.com/
CONTACT DETAILS:
Americas
Richard Pugnier
Kontron
Tel:+1 (858) 623-3006
richard.pugnier@us.kontron.com
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