Kontron announces two design wins amounting to a total volume of €100m

For the first design win, Kontron will supply major components of a satellite-based IFEC (in-flight entertainment and communications) system which will be installed in aircraft from multiple airlines over five years starting in 2024. Kontron will deliver technology allowing connectivity through geostationary (GEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), and low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations. Potential revenues amount to roughly EUR 90m over a five-year span.

In addition, Kontron announces a second design win with a volume of around €10m over a two-year span. Starting in 2024, Kontron will supply a major satellite communications operator with IFEC equipment which will be installed in aircraft from multiple airlines. The agreement includes options to increase the volume and add further deployments.

In general, there is a major technology shift from geostationary to low and medium earth orbit satellite constellations which will continue to shape satellite connectivity in aviation and other markets over the upcoming years. With the design win for the satellite-based IFEC system, Kontron shows that it is on the edge of this trend. Another support for Kontron’s avionics business has been the return on travel after years of no or little investment following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kontron has more than 30 years of experience building ultra-rugged computing platforms designed for commercial and defense applications and is uniquely positioned to address the needs of the IFEC market. As a premier supplier of integrated hardware systems for the commercial aerospace industry, Kontron’s products include secure critical system components to enable in-flight broadband services including internet, VPN access, e-mail, multimedia capabilities, video-on-demand, games, and additional entertainment choices in a fully integrated wireless connected cabin over a broadband air-to-ground or air-to-satellite link.