BEIJING, CHINA, 25 October 2016 – FTS today announced the successful completion of installation and certification test flight for their next generation Cabin Wireless Solution onboard a China Southern Airlines B737-800 aircraft.
“This is indeed a very exciting day for the FTS team and our customer,” said FTS President and CEO Mr. Duan Shiping. “We kicked off this program just five months ago and it’s amazing that we are able to complete installation, test flight and stay on schedule for CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China) MDA (Modification Design Approval) certification. We have great expectations for our next generation inflight wireless system and believe the new opportunities that it offers will be appealing to the airlines.”
FTS Cabin Wireless Solution is completely designed and manufactured in-house within FTS. The system features a high performance 2-MCU embedded file server, 2 wireless access points that support the latest 802.11ac standard and a revolutionary 3G/4G cellular modem that takes up to 4 sim cards. Passengers can connect to the onboard wireless network through their own mobile devices and enjoy streaming HD-quality video and audio entertainment, play single/multiplayer games, read latest news, view 2D/3D flight progress maps and indulge in shopping.
“We were able to accomplish this feat in record time thanks to our tireless project teams and close collaboration with the customer,” added Mr. Duan. “Unlike other platforms in the market, FTS Cabin Wireless Solution is designed from ground up to optimize generation of airline ancillary revenue. The successful test flight and certification is a huge confidence booster to airlines and this opens up a world of opportunities to tap on new sources of ancillary revenue.”
In parallel to the CAAC award of MDA approval, FTS is also on track to receive FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) issue of respective STC (Supplemental Type Certification) in early 2017 that will pave the way for expansion into international markets.