Satellite communications specialist Viasat has announced a new concept for business aviation that it says will radically change how in-flight connectivity performance is measured.
The concept was conceived in response to a major new report by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School. The report, entitled ‘Redefining In-Flight Connectivity in Business Aviation: What Really Matters to Private Jet Passengers’, observes that connectivity performance has traditionally been measured by peak network speeds, even though this singular metric doesn’t reflect the moments that truly matter to private jet passengers – such as joining a board meeting without the connection dropping, closing multi-million dollar deals without disruption or watching crucial sporting moments without buffering.
The report suggests that the industry must move beyond measuring speed alone to focus on quality of service (QoS), incorporating broader metrics such as latency, jitter, packet loss and bandwidth. More critically, it advocates that business aviation in-flight connectivity providers elevate quality of experience (QoE) as their ultimate ‘North Star’ – translating technical performance into simple measurements that passengers can instantly understand.
“Peak network speeds have been the primary measure of business aviation in-flight connectivity performance for too long,” stated Michael Schrage, research fellow at MIT Sloan School of Management and the report’s author. “However, a single, holistic QoE score analysing several key metrics provides a more sophisticated measurement – one that looks beyond what the network delivered to whether users accomplished their objectives without friction.”
“In business aviation, where even momentary outages can ruin multi-million-dollar deals, the move from engineering metrics to experience outcomes must be navigated at altitude and speed,” Schrage continued. “It’s a fundamental shift that recognises connectivity as mission-critical infrastructure, impacting passenger satisfaction and aircraft utilisation. Longer-term, it can evolve with smart AI-driven approaches that predict and optimise outcomes in real time, not just measure them.”
Viasat has reinforced the report’s findings with the launch of a brand new concept for its premium JetXP inflight broadband service. Designed with business aviation in mind, Viasat says that its new iQe (inflight quality of experience) concept will redefine connectivity measurement by focusing on the real time, end-to-end experience of every passenger. iQe leverages AI and advanced analytics to constantly monitor a comprehensive range of network metrics, delivering a single, intuitive QoE score that instantly shows connectivity performance.
“This unique concept delivers direct visibility into JetXP’s connectivity performance for principals, flight crews and other stakeholders, incorporating all relevant network metrics and presenting the findings in a simple and easy-to-understand format, which aligns with MIT’s recommended approach,” said said Kai Tang, head of business aviation, Viasat. “It will be available early next year through major app stores as well as a browser-based version, with secure login credentials to ensure user privacy.”
