QEST Wins Contract with Honeywell for In-flight Connectivity

Holzgerlingen, Germany, March 15, 2013 – QEST Quantenelektronische Systeme GmbH announced today that it has been awarded a contract by Honeywell to supply Ka-band Antenna Apertures for integration into fuselage-mounted airborne antenna systems to provide in-flight connectivity to the Inmarsat Global Xpress (GX) Aviation network. Scaled production for the apertures is expected to begin in 2014. Honeywell and Inmarsat signed an agreement in April 2012 to provide global in-flight connectivity services to business and commercial aviation customers around the world. Honeywell is developing and distributing the on-board hardware to enable users to connect to Inmarsat’s GX Aviation network, the world's first globally available high speed mobile broadband service which is delivered by Ka-Band. QEST is an industry leader in the development and manufacturing of high-efficiency antenna apertures for use in airborne satellite connectivity systems. Building on QEST's extensive expertise acquired with bi-directional antennas in Ku-Band, the company's Ka-Band aperture designs feature leading-edge technology and superior performance while being compliant with stringent regulatory requirements for airborne antennas. With its novel Ka-Band apertures, QEST is actively supporting the evolution in satellite technology and service providing schemes. The usage of such high-performance apertures is essential for an optimum capitalization of Ka-band service benefits in aeronautical applications. According to Inmarsat, the GX Ka-band network will offer seamless global coverage by the end of 2014 with unprecedented mobile broadband downlink speeds of up to 50 Mbps. “Based on our outstanding know-how and track record in the design and delivery of antenna apertures for commercial airborne applications, QEST has an excellent starting point for supporting the GX Aviation program,” says Michael Stobinski, Chief Commercial Officer of QEST. “We are delighted about the opportunity to work with Honeywell and to contribute to their fuselage-mounted Antenna System for the GX Aviation service."QEST's aperture for the fuselage-mounted antenna system is based on the company’s proven horn array technology – the most efficient way to build high performance antennas. Horn arrays combine ultimate figures of merit with selective beam shaping, thus enabling well-balanced solutions between high performance, attractive form factors and regulatory compliance.