Saturday, February 08, 2003 9:31:05 PM
Hadn't noticed before that a spokesman from 20th Century Fox is speaking just before Steve Ferguson of e.Digital at the IFE conference in April.
http://216.239.57.100/search?q=cache:vduk697ndb0C:www.ipec2003.com/program.htm+boeing+portable+infli...
THE WORLD OF IFE Rich content, poor airlines
IFE meets the challenge of the air transport downturn
DAY ONE: MONDAY APRIL 7, 2003
PLENARY SESSION
09.00 Chairman's opening remarks
Michael Planey, IFE, marketing and transportation consultant, USA
09.05 Welcome address
Stephen Timms MP, Minister of State for e-Commerce and Competitiveness, Department of Trade and Industry, UK*
09.10 Keynote address
IFE in a transformed air transport industry
How do airlines see the role of IFE in an industry transformed by the impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, continuing adverse economic conditions, reduced business travel, the need for more intrusive security, and the aggressive expansion of the low-cost operators? What are the prospects for increased investment in systems and content, and is there any way for the IFE community to help its airline partners weather the storm?
Alexander Arafa, VP product management and development, Swiss International Air Lines, Switzerland*
09.30 Opening address
IFE and the customer service proposition: how big a part does it play?
Past hopes that IFE would swiftly become a key differentiator in attracting passengers seem to have been dashed as airlines face the realities of operating in a radically different marketplace. Business travellers are now more interested in security and efficiency of operation than in entertainment and productivity. Or are they? Can the inflight email and Internet access providers deliver on their promises and help move IFE towards the customer-service centre-stage? And will the new generation of rich-media digital content prove to be an effective weapon in the marketing war for the leisure dollar?
Kevin George, senior manager product change, British Airways, UK
09.45 THE 64,000-DOLLAR DEBATE
Revenue generation and return on IFE investment - what's the bottom line?
Airlines have invested heavily in cutting-edge IFE systems, only to see the goalposts move as advancing technology has raised passenger expectations again and again. Can yet another round of spending be justified and funded? And can IFE offerings become a worthwhile source of revenue for the airlines and their service providers?
Moderated by Walé Adepoju, CEO, Inflight Management Development Centre, UK
John Caulcutt, CEO, Watermark Group, UK
John Rohr, managing director video services, Pace Communications, USA
Don McLaren, head of IFE and onboard IT, SWISS, Switzerland
10.15-10.45 COFFEE BREAK AND EXHIBITION
10.45 Customer attitudes to IFE - what do passengers want?
An exclusive, in-depth look at customer attitudes to IFE. What are their real preferences? How do they rate current offerings and what do they want in the future? How important is IFE when they book their flights? Are they impressed by promises of inflight connectivity?
Walé Adepoju, CEO, Inflight Management Development Centre, UK
11.10 SPECIAL SHOWCASE PRESENTATION
The wireless cabin - who wants it?
The wireless cabin is one of the hottest topics in IFE today. Are its potential cost, weight and passenger service benefits just around the corner, or will safety worries delay its introduction? And if it proves practicable, will airlines and passengers want it? Dr Andrew Rogoyski of UK consultancy ESYS sets the scene for the Big Issue session by describing the results from his market research campaign for Europe's WirelessCabin project.
Dr Andrew Rogoyski, consultant, ESYS, UK
11.35 OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION moderated by Michael Planey
12.00-14.00 LUNCH (SPONSORED BY IEC IN-FLIGHT SYSTEMS) AND EXHIBITION
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
14.00 IFE TECHNOLOGY SESSION 1
Moderated by technology chairman Michael Childers, CEO, LightStream Communications, USA
DELIVERING EMAIL AND THE INTERNET
While inflight phone continues its uphill struggle, the signs are that email and Internet access will find a ready response from passengers. The variety of offerings making their way towards the air transport marketplace reflect two schools of thought - the evolutionaries, building on existing technologies and adding bandwidth on demand, and the revolutionaries, with their radical new solutions.
The evolutionaries: Tenzing Communications
Creator of patented techniques to optimise the efficiency and minimise the cost of air-ground data communications, Tenzing aims to duplicate in the aircraft the level of access to business data already afforded by personal mobile devices on the ground.
John Wade, EVP operations and general manager, Tenzing Communications, USA
14.00 CORPORATE CABIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
MINI-CONFERENCE
Moderated by Chris Nicholls, VP sales and marketing, IEC In-flight Systems, UK
Opening address
Cabin management systems: too good to be true?
The CMS suppliers appear confident of their ability to meet the growing demand for more functionality and connectivity. But are they falling into the same trap as some of the first-generation air transport IFE suppliers and promising ambitious systems that they may not be able to deliver?
Todd Zarfos, director airplane systems, Boeing Commercial Aviation Services, USA*
14.20 The evolutionaries: Inmarsat
Aeronautical satcoms pioneer Inmarsat has seen its data capability evolve from the 9.6kbitsec of its initial system to today's Swift64 64kbit/sec service and is laying plans for the 432kbit/sec potential of its fourth-generation satellites.
Tony Busby, general manager aeronautical business, Inmarsat Ltd, UK 14.30 CCMS SESSION 1
THE OWNER/OPERATOR'S VIEW
What the flight department wants from a CMS
Owners are usually the prime movers behind what goes into the cabin. But the people responsible for operating the aircraft also need to have a say. A flight department's view of CMS technology, functionality, reliability, ergonomics, support and future requirements
Todd Chisholm, chief pilot, GE Corporate, USA*
14.40 The revolutionaries: AirTV
AirTV believes that only a purpose-built broadband solution is good enough and is venturing into the virgin territory of S-band to provide it.Robert M. Sorbello, senior vice-president engineering and technology, AirTV, USA
14.50 Sponsor presentation
15.00 The revolutionaries: Connexion by Boeing
Connexion by Boeing shares the broadband vision but is avoiding some of the cost of entry by building its new system on the foundation of existing commercial satellite capacity.
Ed Laase, director of system development, Connexion by Boeing, USA
15.00 What the big operators want from a CMS
The influences at work on a big lessor or fractional-ownership operator are significantly different from those affecting a compact corporate flight department. With many more aircraft and varying numbers of different airframes to equip, what are the big operators looking for in a CMS?
David Kinson, EVP marketing and development, PrivatAir, Switzerland*
15.20-15.45 COFFEE BREAK AND EXHIBITION
15.20-16.00 COFFEE BREAK AND EXHIBITION
15.45 IFE TECHNOLOGY SESSION 2
Moderated by Michael Childers
SATELLITE CONNECTIVITY: THE AIRLINE VIEW
The first quarter of 2003 could go down in history as marking the debut of commercially significant satellite data communications for the air transport industry. Two airlines talk about their trials work with AirTV and Connexion by Boeing. Inmarsat users and service providers describe their operational experience and look forward to the arrival of Swift64 in the airline arena
Alitalia and AirTV
As AirTV moves towards the introduction of an ambitious four-satellite system in the middle of the decade, the US company is working with Italy's national carrier to prove its initial service concepts
Richard Stone, EVP content and programming, AirTV, USAInvited Alitalia representative. 16.00 Sponsor presentation
Doug Leis, director sales and marketing, IEC In-flight Systems, UK
16.05 Lufthansa and Connexion by Boeing
The head of the Lufthansa airborne Internet project comes to IPEC with the first results from the German carrier's trial of Connexion by Boeing.
Dr-Ing Burkard Wigger, general manager, Project Lufthansa FlyNet, Lufthansa, Germany
Stanley Deal, Director of commercial services, Connexion by Boeing, USA 16.15 CCMS SESSION 2
Moderated by Chris Nicholls
THE COMPLETION CENTRE VIEW
CMS integration - jumping through the regulatory hoops
The plug-and-play CMS is still a long way off. An installations specialist describes some of the technical challenges - RTCA DO 160 specifications, power interrupt and smoke emission standards, FAA supplemental type certification, COTS equipment - encountered when integrating CMS during aircraft completions.
Steve Walton, director systems integration, DeCrane Aircraft, USA
16.25 The Inmarsat service providers and their
customers
Most of the world's long-haul airliners are equipped for voice and data communications via Inmarsat. A selection of carriers and service providers talk about their current capabilities, consider applications for the new Swift64 64kbit/sec service, and look forward to the broadband potential of the Inmarsat fourth-generation satellites.
David Coiley, director business development passenger services, ARINC, USA
Stuart Jewell, IFE analyst, Virgin Atlantic Airways, UK
Sasha John, marketing manager aeronautical, Stratos, UK
David Knerr, manager of flight dispatch, United Airlines, USA
Joel Ehrman, aeronautical accounts manager, Telenor Satellite Services, USA
George Cooper, VP aircraft communications, SITA, International
16.35 CMS requirements - staying one step ahead of the customer
The completion centre's sales team has a unique perspective on what customers say they want from CMS and what they are ready to pay for. A top completions salesman takes a cool look at current and future customer requirements.
Dan Preble, manager of executive aircraft programmes, L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, USA*
16.45 OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION moderated by Michael Childers
16.55 OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION moderated by Chris Nicholls
17.15 COCKTAIL RECEPTION IN EXHIBITION AREA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WORLD OF IFE
Rich content, poor airlines
IFE meets the challenge of the air transport downturn
DAY TWO: TUESDAY APRIL 8, 2003
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
09.00 IFE TECHNOLOGY SESSION 3
Moderated by Michael Childers
SYSTEM SUPPLIERS' FORUM
In recent years the leading IFE suppliers have striven to shake off their analogue legacy to produce light, robust digital systems capable of meeting growing passenger expectations. At the same time, all-digital newcomers have entered the market. Now yet another set of challenges is emerging. As the low-cost carriers continue their advance, what will appeal to this most cost-conscious of sectors? And how seriously should the manufacturers take the idea of distributed IFE, with devices such as the proposed portable hard-drives and wireless-enabled laptops taking over from embedded systems on the aircraft?
Rockwell Collins
With its PAVES solution for single-aisle aircraft, Total Entertainment System (TES) for widebodies and now the connectivity-enabled eTES, Rockwell Collins has its sights on the whole of the air transport market.Dave Frankenbach, director advanced product planning, Rockwell Collins, USA*
09.00 CCMS MINI-CONFERENCE SESSION 3
Moderated by Chris Nicholls
COMMUNICATIONS, CERTIFICATION AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Communications - meeting the broadband challenge
How much data bandwidth is enough? One leading aviation communications provider is betting that if it builds a megabit-rated data pipe the corporate operators will find ways to use it.
Tom Mullan, senior director ARINC broadband services, USA
09.20 Thales Avionics
The i-Series range spearheads Thales Avionics' offer to the airlines, integrating communications, laptop power and entertainment in a single flexible platform.
Joe Patti, director product marketing, Thales Avionics In-Flight Systems, USA 09.20 Communications - data delivery for today's office in the sky
A leading supplier of communications solutions to corporate aviation describes how the Inmarsat Swift64 64kbit/sec service is turning the office in the sky into a practical reality.
David Greenhill, business development director, Satcom Direct Inc, USA
09.40 Delta Beta In-Flight
Delta Beta's Self-Contained In-Seat Entertainment (SCISE) system does away with servers and seat boxes by packing capability into the passenger display units.
Henry DeBey, president and CEO, Delta Beta In-Flight, USA
09.40 CMS certification - living with tighter requirements
The completion centres are having to learn to live with new and tighter requirements governing the certification of CMS installations.
Russ Wenman, managing director, BBJ Design Services, UK
10.00 Global Aviation
Aiming for low costs and high maintainability, Global Aviation has based its SMC-3000 SkyMediaCenter on commercial off-the-shelf systems and years of experience in the installations business.
Manuel Beltran, chief technology officer, Global Aviation International, USA 10.00 Installation or irritation?
The road to customer satisfaction does not always run smooth. A customer representative with years of experience of overseeing aircraft completions describes some of the possible pitfalls of a CMS installation campaign, including unsatisfactory communications between the completion centre and the CMS supplier, and lack of project planning
Flo Ciobotaru, executive VP, AIMS, Canada
10.20-10.50 COFFEE BREAK
10.50 IFE TECHNOLOGY SESSION 4
Moderated by Michael Childers
SHOWCASE PRESENTATION
The low-cost opportunity
Some say the low-cost airlines, with their tight controls on spending, can never be a significant opportunity for IFE suppliers. Others point to JetBlue, which offers its passengers in-flight TV, and to lower-risk business models for the airlines. The single-aisle solutions look right for the low-cost fleets - can the operators be persuaded? A leading supplier weighs up the odds
Alan Pellegrini, senior vice-president marketing and operations, Matsushita Avionics Systems, USA
Christos Fournias, inflight services manager, Cyprus Airways, Cyprus
10.50 CCMS SESSION 4
Moderated by Chris Nicholls
ONBOARD NETWORKS
The heart of the matter - the case for an airborne server
Not so long ago, a simple telecommunications router was all that even the most advanced corporate cabin needed in the way of network management. Now, as users demand a range of new capabilities, the smart operator is specifying an airborne network server
Bob Rodgers, president, Pentar Avionics, USA
11.15 A new approach to airline IFE installations
IFE retrofits can be inelegant, inefficient and more costly than they need to be. One installation provider believes there's a better way.
George Smallhorn, president and general manager, Inflight Canada, Canada*
11.05 Sponsor presentation
11.35 PANEL
IFE reliability and maintainability
Over the years IFE systems have attracted an unwelcome reputation for complexity and unreliability. Are the criticisms still justified? If they are, what can be done to toughen up installations, improve availability and reduce maintenance cost and downtime?
Andrew Armstrong, project manager customer avionics, Air Canada Technical Services, Canada
Ricky Frick, president and CEO, AirWorks, USA George Smallhorn, president and general manager, Inflight Canada, Canada*Peter Chilsen, manager business development, ECS, USA*
Henry DeBey, president and CEO, Delta Beta In-Flight, USA
11.20 Solutions for the big jets
Bigger and even more costly than the top-of-the-range purpose-designed bizjets, the Airbus Corporate Jet, Boeing Business Jet and the widebody head-of-state conversions present the CMS community with some particular challenges.
Andrew Muirhead, manager innovation engineering, Lufthansa Technik, Germany
11.55 OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION moderated by Michael Childers
11.35
11.50
Sponsor presentation
OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION moderated by Chris Nicholls
12.15-14.00 LUNCH (SPONSORED BY ROCKWELL COLLINS) AND EXHIBITION
14.00 IPEC 2003 EXHIBITION
IPEC 2003 promises to be richer in content than ever before. But delegates also need time to stand,stare, think and derive maximum benefit from having the industry on one spot. So this session has been set aside to give delegates time to compare and contrast the latest offerings and discuss their needs with suppliers.
16.30 COCKTAIL RECEPTION IN EXHIBITION AREA
With the day's timetable complete, a relaxed opportunity to meet old friends and new contacts and let the information and ideas flow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WORLD OF IFE
Rich content, poor airlines
IFE meets the challenge of the air transport downturn
DAY THREE: WEDNESDAY APRIL 9, 2003
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
09.00 IFE TECHNOLOGY SESSION 5
Moderated by:
Brendan Gallagher, editor, Inflight magazine
Peter Lemme, chief technical officer, Tenzing Communications, USA
THE BIG ISSUE: WIRELESS IN THE CABIN AND THE TERMINAL
The growing demand for wireless-based services in the cabin and the terminal is both an opportunity for the suppliers and a burden for the airlines and regulators. What are the technology options, how real are the air safety fears voiced in some quarters, and what are the prospects for a timely regulatory and technical resolution?
THE BASIC TECHNOLOGIES
Weighing up wireless: the pluses and minuses
Several wireless technologies - cellular, ultra-wideband, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11b, DIR, Gatelink, Terminal Cellular Bridge - are jostling for a place in air transport. How do they work, and what are their strengths and weaknesses?
Joe Winston, director business development, Formation Inc, USA
Rod Farley, president, IMS Consultants, USA
09.00 CONTENT SEMINAR
Moderated by Michael Childers
CONTENT MANAGEMENT IN AN EVOLUTIONARY WORLD
For the first time IPEC devotes a special session to content, both traditional and the emerging alternatives. The familiar staples of movies, news and sitcoms are being supplemented by interactive offerings such as games. What is the likely future balance between "lean back" traditional content and "lean forward" interactive? And how will digital delivery and other new technologies affect the nature and management of inflight content?
CONTENT SESSION 1
EMERGING IFE CONTENT AND HOW TO MANAGE IT
Content management, media integration, media metrics, network delivery and interactivity are products of the rise of digital technology in IFE. This session gets its hands on the tools of the new digital disciplines
Network delivery: A content provider's perspective
Content providers are moving towards a world of digital delivery and asset management. Digital television is emerging rapidly and digital cinema is in the offing. A new IFE content delivery supply chain is being forged, and its links are MPEG-4, digital rights management and XML.
Julian Levin, executive VP of digital exhibition and nontheatrical, 20th Century Fox, USA*
09.20 Wireless in the cabin: a better way to LAN?
How wireless LANs could score over cable-based networks in the airliner cabin.
Ralf Wolckenhauer, chief engineer, Airbus In-Flight Information Services, Germany
09.20 Turbocharged software for digital delivery
IFE may be forsaking MPEG-1 for MPEG-2, but content providers are moving on to MPEG-4 and have MPEG-7 and MPEG-21 in their sights. The newest versions of MPEG-4 promise MPEG-2 quality at 1-1.5Mbit/sec - see it demonstrated on a big screen and hear about the developments that will shift digital delivery up another gear.
Marty Levine, VP business development, Consumer Platforms, iVAST Inc, USA
09.40 Wireless in the terminal: a quick win?
The regulatory road to the wireless cabin may stretch into the distance, but carriers and airport operators could quickly meet some of the demand from passengers by offering wireless connectivity in the terminal during waiting-to-board and dwell time. A view of wireless "hot spot" services from the company that pioneered the technology in Europe
Chris Brown, VP business development and UK country manager, Megabeam Networks Ltd, UK.
09.40 mContent: Will distributed mobile platforms challenge embedded IFE?
Steve Ferguson, VP sales and marketing, e.Digital Corporation, USA
Passengers often spend hours in the terminal - so why should the IFE experience be confined to the aircraft? Airport wireless networks, portable hard-drives and laptops could extend the reach of IFE to the other side of the gate - and even one day make embedded in-seat systems obsolete. Judge for yourself as the portable hard-drive makes its IPEC debut
10.00-10.30 COFFEE BREAK AND EXHIBITION 10.00 Metrics: Opening the door to real-time content management
The introduction of metrics is taking the guesswork out of IFE content management. Reporting quickly and comprehensively on content usage, could metrics software combine with digital delivery to replace the time-honoured 30-day programme cycle with something more responsive and flexible? User airlines will be at IPEC to show off the method in their metrics
Airlines and their suppliers will describe their operational use of metrics
10.30 IFE TECHNOLOGY SESSION 6
Moderated by Michael Childers and Peter Lemme
THE BIG ISSUE: WIRELESS IN THE CABIN AND THE TERMINAL (CONTINUED)
INTERFERENCE AND SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT/ALLOCATION
Ultra-wideband and Bluetooth: deadly duo or heavenly twins?
One was pioneered by Second World War film star Hedy Lamarr to protect radio-guided torpedoes from enemy jamming, the other takes its name from a Viking monarch with a taste for blueberries. Together they could revolutionise the use of laptops and other personal electronic devices. But there are fears that ultra-wideband, particularly in combination with Bluetooth, can interfere with safety-critical systems on the aircraft. Is there a sound basis for these concerns? And if so, does spectrum allocation offer a solution?
James Miller, Programme manager, United Airlines, USA
10.20-10.45 COFFEE BREAK AND EXHIBITION
10.50 Cellular: tomorrow's inflight phone?
After years of profitless operations, inflight telephony recently looked like a discredited business. But now it could find salvation in cellular technology. A new US operator makes the commercial and technical case for cellular-based inflight phone and comments on the present objections to the use of passengers' own cellphones in the cabin.
Jack Blumenstein, chairman and CEO, AirCell Inc, USA 10.45 CONTENT SESSION 2
Moderated by Brendan Gallagher
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON TRADITIONAL IFE CONTENT
The changing world of IFE news
The world's largest provider of inflight news, CNN has migrated from tape to server-based distribution and is now entering the world of media asset management. Specialist subsidiary Turner Inflight Services not only provides news aboard the aircraft but is also among the first to extend its offering into the terminal itself.
Bob Garner, director, Turner Inflight Services, USA
11.10 OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION moderated by: Brendan Gallagher and Peter Lemme
11.05 Low-risk route to live television?
AIRIA plans to use the existing Inmarsat aeronautical system to deliver onboard live television worldwide from the fourth quarter of 2003. Can this new application of established technology give the company a head start in the airline TV market? And what effect could it have on consumption of ground-loaded content?
Vardhan Rajkumar, VP marketing, AIRIA, UK
11.30 SHOWCASE PRESENTATION
Cellular/satellite convergence
Inflight telephony has been a consistent disappointment to service providers. Impatient of the complications and nervous about cost, passengers have never phoned home in the expected numbers. But now an emerging technology promises to bring cellphone convenience to the airliner cabin. How technically mature is cellular/satellite interworking, and what are the prospects for early regulatory approval?
Nick Green, principal consultant, Logica, UK
George Cooper, VP aircraft communications, SITA, International
Don McLaren, head of IFE and onboard IT, SWISS, Switzerland 11.25 Inflight games: the bridge between static and interactive?
Already enormously popular, inflight games are getting a fresh boost in the form of multi-user capability. Will growing play power tip the IFE balance in favour of interactivity?
Louis Belanger-Martin, executive vice-president, DTI Software, Canada
11.50 OPEN FORUM moderated by Michael Childers 11.45 Interactive IFE: lean-back versus lean-forward
Are airline passengers flying couch potatoes who prefer to lean back and watch fixed-time, channel-differentiated programming? Or do they want to lean forward and take charge, treating IFE just like their home entertainment systems?
Dave Tharp, CEO, Inflight Digital, UK
12.05 OPEN FORUM moderated by Brendan Gallagher
12.15-14.00 LUNCH (SPONSORED BY VERIZON) AND EXHIBITION
PLENARY SESSIONS
14.00 THE LEADERS' DEBATE
Moderated by Michael Childers and Michael Planey
IFE - caught in the airline survival squeeze?
Battered from one side by the most damaging downturn in air transport history and from the other by the onward march of the low-costs, many of the full-service long-haul carriers have little interest in putting precious survival dollars into IFE.
But passengers are used to ever richer mobile communications and electronic entertainment on the ground and are demanding something similar in the air.
How will the airlines square the circle? What will their decisions mean for the IFE industry?
In this concluding Leaders' Debate, experts from airlines, system suppliers and independent consultancies will discuss the industry's likely trajectory over the next few years
14.45-15.15 COFFEE BREAK AND EXHIBITION
15.15 DELEGATES' DEBATE
Delegates debate the issues with the chairmen, consultants and industry leaders.
15.55 Conference chairman's summary
16.00 COCKTAIL RECEPTION
http://216.239.57.100/search?q=cache:vduk697ndb0C:www.ipec2003.com/program.htm+boeing+portable+infli...
THE WORLD OF IFE Rich content, poor airlines
IFE meets the challenge of the air transport downturn
DAY ONE: MONDAY APRIL 7, 2003
PLENARY SESSION
09.00 Chairman's opening remarks
Michael Planey, IFE, marketing and transportation consultant, USA
09.05 Welcome address
Stephen Timms MP, Minister of State for e-Commerce and Competitiveness, Department of Trade and Industry, UK*
09.10 Keynote address
IFE in a transformed air transport industry
How do airlines see the role of IFE in an industry transformed by the impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, continuing adverse economic conditions, reduced business travel, the need for more intrusive security, and the aggressive expansion of the low-cost operators? What are the prospects for increased investment in systems and content, and is there any way for the IFE community to help its airline partners weather the storm?
Alexander Arafa, VP product management and development, Swiss International Air Lines, Switzerland*
09.30 Opening address
IFE and the customer service proposition: how big a part does it play?
Past hopes that IFE would swiftly become a key differentiator in attracting passengers seem to have been dashed as airlines face the realities of operating in a radically different marketplace. Business travellers are now more interested in security and efficiency of operation than in entertainment and productivity. Or are they? Can the inflight email and Internet access providers deliver on their promises and help move IFE towards the customer-service centre-stage? And will the new generation of rich-media digital content prove to be an effective weapon in the marketing war for the leisure dollar?
Kevin George, senior manager product change, British Airways, UK
09.45 THE 64,000-DOLLAR DEBATE
Revenue generation and return on IFE investment - what's the bottom line?
Airlines have invested heavily in cutting-edge IFE systems, only to see the goalposts move as advancing technology has raised passenger expectations again and again. Can yet another round of spending be justified and funded? And can IFE offerings become a worthwhile source of revenue for the airlines and their service providers?
Moderated by Walé Adepoju, CEO, Inflight Management Development Centre, UK
John Caulcutt, CEO, Watermark Group, UK
John Rohr, managing director video services, Pace Communications, USA
Don McLaren, head of IFE and onboard IT, SWISS, Switzerland
10.15-10.45 COFFEE BREAK AND EXHIBITION
10.45 Customer attitudes to IFE - what do passengers want?
An exclusive, in-depth look at customer attitudes to IFE. What are their real preferences? How do they rate current offerings and what do they want in the future? How important is IFE when they book their flights? Are they impressed by promises of inflight connectivity?
Walé Adepoju, CEO, Inflight Management Development Centre, UK
11.10 SPECIAL SHOWCASE PRESENTATION
The wireless cabin - who wants it?
The wireless cabin is one of the hottest topics in IFE today. Are its potential cost, weight and passenger service benefits just around the corner, or will safety worries delay its introduction? And if it proves practicable, will airlines and passengers want it? Dr Andrew Rogoyski of UK consultancy ESYS sets the scene for the Big Issue session by describing the results from his market research campaign for Europe's WirelessCabin project.
Dr Andrew Rogoyski, consultant, ESYS, UK
11.35 OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION moderated by Michael Planey
12.00-14.00 LUNCH (SPONSORED BY IEC IN-FLIGHT SYSTEMS) AND EXHIBITION
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
14.00 IFE TECHNOLOGY SESSION 1
Moderated by technology chairman Michael Childers, CEO, LightStream Communications, USA
DELIVERING EMAIL AND THE INTERNET
While inflight phone continues its uphill struggle, the signs are that email and Internet access will find a ready response from passengers. The variety of offerings making their way towards the air transport marketplace reflect two schools of thought - the evolutionaries, building on existing technologies and adding bandwidth on demand, and the revolutionaries, with their radical new solutions.
The evolutionaries: Tenzing Communications
Creator of patented techniques to optimise the efficiency and minimise the cost of air-ground data communications, Tenzing aims to duplicate in the aircraft the level of access to business data already afforded by personal mobile devices on the ground.
John Wade, EVP operations and general manager, Tenzing Communications, USA
14.00 CORPORATE CABIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
MINI-CONFERENCE
Moderated by Chris Nicholls, VP sales and marketing, IEC In-flight Systems, UK
Opening address
Cabin management systems: too good to be true?
The CMS suppliers appear confident of their ability to meet the growing demand for more functionality and connectivity. But are they falling into the same trap as some of the first-generation air transport IFE suppliers and promising ambitious systems that they may not be able to deliver?
Todd Zarfos, director airplane systems, Boeing Commercial Aviation Services, USA*
14.20 The evolutionaries: Inmarsat
Aeronautical satcoms pioneer Inmarsat has seen its data capability evolve from the 9.6kbitsec of its initial system to today's Swift64 64kbit/sec service and is laying plans for the 432kbit/sec potential of its fourth-generation satellites.
Tony Busby, general manager aeronautical business, Inmarsat Ltd, UK 14.30 CCMS SESSION 1
THE OWNER/OPERATOR'S VIEW
What the flight department wants from a CMS
Owners are usually the prime movers behind what goes into the cabin. But the people responsible for operating the aircraft also need to have a say. A flight department's view of CMS technology, functionality, reliability, ergonomics, support and future requirements
Todd Chisholm, chief pilot, GE Corporate, USA*
14.40 The revolutionaries: AirTV
AirTV believes that only a purpose-built broadband solution is good enough and is venturing into the virgin territory of S-band to provide it.Robert M. Sorbello, senior vice-president engineering and technology, AirTV, USA
14.50 Sponsor presentation
15.00 The revolutionaries: Connexion by Boeing
Connexion by Boeing shares the broadband vision but is avoiding some of the cost of entry by building its new system on the foundation of existing commercial satellite capacity.
Ed Laase, director of system development, Connexion by Boeing, USA
15.00 What the big operators want from a CMS
The influences at work on a big lessor or fractional-ownership operator are significantly different from those affecting a compact corporate flight department. With many more aircraft and varying numbers of different airframes to equip, what are the big operators looking for in a CMS?
David Kinson, EVP marketing and development, PrivatAir, Switzerland*
15.20-15.45 COFFEE BREAK AND EXHIBITION
15.20-16.00 COFFEE BREAK AND EXHIBITION
15.45 IFE TECHNOLOGY SESSION 2
Moderated by Michael Childers
SATELLITE CONNECTIVITY: THE AIRLINE VIEW
The first quarter of 2003 could go down in history as marking the debut of commercially significant satellite data communications for the air transport industry. Two airlines talk about their trials work with AirTV and Connexion by Boeing. Inmarsat users and service providers describe their operational experience and look forward to the arrival of Swift64 in the airline arena
Alitalia and AirTV
As AirTV moves towards the introduction of an ambitious four-satellite system in the middle of the decade, the US company is working with Italy's national carrier to prove its initial service concepts
Richard Stone, EVP content and programming, AirTV, USAInvited Alitalia representative. 16.00 Sponsor presentation
Doug Leis, director sales and marketing, IEC In-flight Systems, UK
16.05 Lufthansa and Connexion by Boeing
The head of the Lufthansa airborne Internet project comes to IPEC with the first results from the German carrier's trial of Connexion by Boeing.
Dr-Ing Burkard Wigger, general manager, Project Lufthansa FlyNet, Lufthansa, Germany
Stanley Deal, Director of commercial services, Connexion by Boeing, USA 16.15 CCMS SESSION 2
Moderated by Chris Nicholls
THE COMPLETION CENTRE VIEW
CMS integration - jumping through the regulatory hoops
The plug-and-play CMS is still a long way off. An installations specialist describes some of the technical challenges - RTCA DO 160 specifications, power interrupt and smoke emission standards, FAA supplemental type certification, COTS equipment - encountered when integrating CMS during aircraft completions.
Steve Walton, director systems integration, DeCrane Aircraft, USA
16.25 The Inmarsat service providers and their
customers
Most of the world's long-haul airliners are equipped for voice and data communications via Inmarsat. A selection of carriers and service providers talk about their current capabilities, consider applications for the new Swift64 64kbit/sec service, and look forward to the broadband potential of the Inmarsat fourth-generation satellites.
David Coiley, director business development passenger services, ARINC, USA
Stuart Jewell, IFE analyst, Virgin Atlantic Airways, UK
Sasha John, marketing manager aeronautical, Stratos, UK
David Knerr, manager of flight dispatch, United Airlines, USA
Joel Ehrman, aeronautical accounts manager, Telenor Satellite Services, USA
George Cooper, VP aircraft communications, SITA, International
16.35 CMS requirements - staying one step ahead of the customer
The completion centre's sales team has a unique perspective on what customers say they want from CMS and what they are ready to pay for. A top completions salesman takes a cool look at current and future customer requirements.
Dan Preble, manager of executive aircraft programmes, L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, USA*
16.45 OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION moderated by Michael Childers
16.55 OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION moderated by Chris Nicholls
17.15 COCKTAIL RECEPTION IN EXHIBITION AREA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WORLD OF IFE
Rich content, poor airlines
IFE meets the challenge of the air transport downturn
DAY TWO: TUESDAY APRIL 8, 2003
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
09.00 IFE TECHNOLOGY SESSION 3
Moderated by Michael Childers
SYSTEM SUPPLIERS' FORUM
In recent years the leading IFE suppliers have striven to shake off their analogue legacy to produce light, robust digital systems capable of meeting growing passenger expectations. At the same time, all-digital newcomers have entered the market. Now yet another set of challenges is emerging. As the low-cost carriers continue their advance, what will appeal to this most cost-conscious of sectors? And how seriously should the manufacturers take the idea of distributed IFE, with devices such as the proposed portable hard-drives and wireless-enabled laptops taking over from embedded systems on the aircraft?
Rockwell Collins
With its PAVES solution for single-aisle aircraft, Total Entertainment System (TES) for widebodies and now the connectivity-enabled eTES, Rockwell Collins has its sights on the whole of the air transport market.Dave Frankenbach, director advanced product planning, Rockwell Collins, USA*
09.00 CCMS MINI-CONFERENCE SESSION 3
Moderated by Chris Nicholls
COMMUNICATIONS, CERTIFICATION AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Communications - meeting the broadband challenge
How much data bandwidth is enough? One leading aviation communications provider is betting that if it builds a megabit-rated data pipe the corporate operators will find ways to use it.
Tom Mullan, senior director ARINC broadband services, USA
09.20 Thales Avionics
The i-Series range spearheads Thales Avionics' offer to the airlines, integrating communications, laptop power and entertainment in a single flexible platform.
Joe Patti, director product marketing, Thales Avionics In-Flight Systems, USA 09.20 Communications - data delivery for today's office in the sky
A leading supplier of communications solutions to corporate aviation describes how the Inmarsat Swift64 64kbit/sec service is turning the office in the sky into a practical reality.
David Greenhill, business development director, Satcom Direct Inc, USA
09.40 Delta Beta In-Flight
Delta Beta's Self-Contained In-Seat Entertainment (SCISE) system does away with servers and seat boxes by packing capability into the passenger display units.
Henry DeBey, president and CEO, Delta Beta In-Flight, USA
09.40 CMS certification - living with tighter requirements
The completion centres are having to learn to live with new and tighter requirements governing the certification of CMS installations.
Russ Wenman, managing director, BBJ Design Services, UK
10.00 Global Aviation
Aiming for low costs and high maintainability, Global Aviation has based its SMC-3000 SkyMediaCenter on commercial off-the-shelf systems and years of experience in the installations business.
Manuel Beltran, chief technology officer, Global Aviation International, USA 10.00 Installation or irritation?
The road to customer satisfaction does not always run smooth. A customer representative with years of experience of overseeing aircraft completions describes some of the possible pitfalls of a CMS installation campaign, including unsatisfactory communications between the completion centre and the CMS supplier, and lack of project planning
Flo Ciobotaru, executive VP, AIMS, Canada
10.20-10.50 COFFEE BREAK
10.50 IFE TECHNOLOGY SESSION 4
Moderated by Michael Childers
SHOWCASE PRESENTATION
The low-cost opportunity
Some say the low-cost airlines, with their tight controls on spending, can never be a significant opportunity for IFE suppliers. Others point to JetBlue, which offers its passengers in-flight TV, and to lower-risk business models for the airlines. The single-aisle solutions look right for the low-cost fleets - can the operators be persuaded? A leading supplier weighs up the odds
Alan Pellegrini, senior vice-president marketing and operations, Matsushita Avionics Systems, USA
Christos Fournias, inflight services manager, Cyprus Airways, Cyprus
10.50 CCMS SESSION 4
Moderated by Chris Nicholls
ONBOARD NETWORKS
The heart of the matter - the case for an airborne server
Not so long ago, a simple telecommunications router was all that even the most advanced corporate cabin needed in the way of network management. Now, as users demand a range of new capabilities, the smart operator is specifying an airborne network server
Bob Rodgers, president, Pentar Avionics, USA
11.15 A new approach to airline IFE installations
IFE retrofits can be inelegant, inefficient and more costly than they need to be. One installation provider believes there's a better way.
George Smallhorn, president and general manager, Inflight Canada, Canada*
11.05 Sponsor presentation
11.35 PANEL
IFE reliability and maintainability
Over the years IFE systems have attracted an unwelcome reputation for complexity and unreliability. Are the criticisms still justified? If they are, what can be done to toughen up installations, improve availability and reduce maintenance cost and downtime?
Andrew Armstrong, project manager customer avionics, Air Canada Technical Services, Canada
Ricky Frick, president and CEO, AirWorks, USA George Smallhorn, president and general manager, Inflight Canada, Canada*Peter Chilsen, manager business development, ECS, USA*
Henry DeBey, president and CEO, Delta Beta In-Flight, USA
11.20 Solutions for the big jets
Bigger and even more costly than the top-of-the-range purpose-designed bizjets, the Airbus Corporate Jet, Boeing Business Jet and the widebody head-of-state conversions present the CMS community with some particular challenges.
Andrew Muirhead, manager innovation engineering, Lufthansa Technik, Germany
11.55 OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION moderated by Michael Childers
11.35
11.50
Sponsor presentation
OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION moderated by Chris Nicholls
12.15-14.00 LUNCH (SPONSORED BY ROCKWELL COLLINS) AND EXHIBITION
14.00 IPEC 2003 EXHIBITION
IPEC 2003 promises to be richer in content than ever before. But delegates also need time to stand,stare, think and derive maximum benefit from having the industry on one spot. So this session has been set aside to give delegates time to compare and contrast the latest offerings and discuss their needs with suppliers.
16.30 COCKTAIL RECEPTION IN EXHIBITION AREA
With the day's timetable complete, a relaxed opportunity to meet old friends and new contacts and let the information and ideas flow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WORLD OF IFE
Rich content, poor airlines
IFE meets the challenge of the air transport downturn
DAY THREE: WEDNESDAY APRIL 9, 2003
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
09.00 IFE TECHNOLOGY SESSION 5
Moderated by:
Brendan Gallagher, editor, Inflight magazine
Peter Lemme, chief technical officer, Tenzing Communications, USA
THE BIG ISSUE: WIRELESS IN THE CABIN AND THE TERMINAL
The growing demand for wireless-based services in the cabin and the terminal is both an opportunity for the suppliers and a burden for the airlines and regulators. What are the technology options, how real are the air safety fears voiced in some quarters, and what are the prospects for a timely regulatory and technical resolution?
THE BASIC TECHNOLOGIES
Weighing up wireless: the pluses and minuses
Several wireless technologies - cellular, ultra-wideband, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11b, DIR, Gatelink, Terminal Cellular Bridge - are jostling for a place in air transport. How do they work, and what are their strengths and weaknesses?
Joe Winston, director business development, Formation Inc, USA
Rod Farley, president, IMS Consultants, USA
09.00 CONTENT SEMINAR
Moderated by Michael Childers
CONTENT MANAGEMENT IN AN EVOLUTIONARY WORLD
For the first time IPEC devotes a special session to content, both traditional and the emerging alternatives. The familiar staples of movies, news and sitcoms are being supplemented by interactive offerings such as games. What is the likely future balance between "lean back" traditional content and "lean forward" interactive? And how will digital delivery and other new technologies affect the nature and management of inflight content?
CONTENT SESSION 1
EMERGING IFE CONTENT AND HOW TO MANAGE IT
Content management, media integration, media metrics, network delivery and interactivity are products of the rise of digital technology in IFE. This session gets its hands on the tools of the new digital disciplines
Network delivery: A content provider's perspective
Content providers are moving towards a world of digital delivery and asset management. Digital television is emerging rapidly and digital cinema is in the offing. A new IFE content delivery supply chain is being forged, and its links are MPEG-4, digital rights management and XML.
Julian Levin, executive VP of digital exhibition and nontheatrical, 20th Century Fox, USA*
09.20 Wireless in the cabin: a better way to LAN?
How wireless LANs could score over cable-based networks in the airliner cabin.
Ralf Wolckenhauer, chief engineer, Airbus In-Flight Information Services, Germany
09.20 Turbocharged software for digital delivery
IFE may be forsaking MPEG-1 for MPEG-2, but content providers are moving on to MPEG-4 and have MPEG-7 and MPEG-21 in their sights. The newest versions of MPEG-4 promise MPEG-2 quality at 1-1.5Mbit/sec - see it demonstrated on a big screen and hear about the developments that will shift digital delivery up another gear.
Marty Levine, VP business development, Consumer Platforms, iVAST Inc, USA
09.40 Wireless in the terminal: a quick win?
The regulatory road to the wireless cabin may stretch into the distance, but carriers and airport operators could quickly meet some of the demand from passengers by offering wireless connectivity in the terminal during waiting-to-board and dwell time. A view of wireless "hot spot" services from the company that pioneered the technology in Europe
Chris Brown, VP business development and UK country manager, Megabeam Networks Ltd, UK.
09.40 mContent: Will distributed mobile platforms challenge embedded IFE?
Steve Ferguson, VP sales and marketing, e.Digital Corporation, USA
Passengers often spend hours in the terminal - so why should the IFE experience be confined to the aircraft? Airport wireless networks, portable hard-drives and laptops could extend the reach of IFE to the other side of the gate - and even one day make embedded in-seat systems obsolete. Judge for yourself as the portable hard-drive makes its IPEC debut
10.00-10.30 COFFEE BREAK AND EXHIBITION 10.00 Metrics: Opening the door to real-time content management
The introduction of metrics is taking the guesswork out of IFE content management. Reporting quickly and comprehensively on content usage, could metrics software combine with digital delivery to replace the time-honoured 30-day programme cycle with something more responsive and flexible? User airlines will be at IPEC to show off the method in their metrics
Airlines and their suppliers will describe their operational use of metrics
10.30 IFE TECHNOLOGY SESSION 6
Moderated by Michael Childers and Peter Lemme
THE BIG ISSUE: WIRELESS IN THE CABIN AND THE TERMINAL (CONTINUED)
INTERFERENCE AND SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT/ALLOCATION
Ultra-wideband and Bluetooth: deadly duo or heavenly twins?
One was pioneered by Second World War film star Hedy Lamarr to protect radio-guided torpedoes from enemy jamming, the other takes its name from a Viking monarch with a taste for blueberries. Together they could revolutionise the use of laptops and other personal electronic devices. But there are fears that ultra-wideband, particularly in combination with Bluetooth, can interfere with safety-critical systems on the aircraft. Is there a sound basis for these concerns? And if so, does spectrum allocation offer a solution?
James Miller, Programme manager, United Airlines, USA
10.20-10.45 COFFEE BREAK AND EXHIBITION
10.50 Cellular: tomorrow's inflight phone?
After years of profitless operations, inflight telephony recently looked like a discredited business. But now it could find salvation in cellular technology. A new US operator makes the commercial and technical case for cellular-based inflight phone and comments on the present objections to the use of passengers' own cellphones in the cabin.
Jack Blumenstein, chairman and CEO, AirCell Inc, USA 10.45 CONTENT SESSION 2
Moderated by Brendan Gallagher
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON TRADITIONAL IFE CONTENT
The changing world of IFE news
The world's largest provider of inflight news, CNN has migrated from tape to server-based distribution and is now entering the world of media asset management. Specialist subsidiary Turner Inflight Services not only provides news aboard the aircraft but is also among the first to extend its offering into the terminal itself.
Bob Garner, director, Turner Inflight Services, USA
11.10 OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION moderated by: Brendan Gallagher and Peter Lemme
11.05 Low-risk route to live television?
AIRIA plans to use the existing Inmarsat aeronautical system to deliver onboard live television worldwide from the fourth quarter of 2003. Can this new application of established technology give the company a head start in the airline TV market? And what effect could it have on consumption of ground-loaded content?
Vardhan Rajkumar, VP marketing, AIRIA, UK
11.30 SHOWCASE PRESENTATION
Cellular/satellite convergence
Inflight telephony has been a consistent disappointment to service providers. Impatient of the complications and nervous about cost, passengers have never phoned home in the expected numbers. But now an emerging technology promises to bring cellphone convenience to the airliner cabin. How technically mature is cellular/satellite interworking, and what are the prospects for early regulatory approval?
Nick Green, principal consultant, Logica, UK
George Cooper, VP aircraft communications, SITA, International
Don McLaren, head of IFE and onboard IT, SWISS, Switzerland 11.25 Inflight games: the bridge between static and interactive?
Already enormously popular, inflight games are getting a fresh boost in the form of multi-user capability. Will growing play power tip the IFE balance in favour of interactivity?
Louis Belanger-Martin, executive vice-president, DTI Software, Canada
11.50 OPEN FORUM moderated by Michael Childers 11.45 Interactive IFE: lean-back versus lean-forward
Are airline passengers flying couch potatoes who prefer to lean back and watch fixed-time, channel-differentiated programming? Or do they want to lean forward and take charge, treating IFE just like their home entertainment systems?
Dave Tharp, CEO, Inflight Digital, UK
12.05 OPEN FORUM moderated by Brendan Gallagher
12.15-14.00 LUNCH (SPONSORED BY VERIZON) AND EXHIBITION
PLENARY SESSIONS
14.00 THE LEADERS' DEBATE
Moderated by Michael Childers and Michael Planey
IFE - caught in the airline survival squeeze?
Battered from one side by the most damaging downturn in air transport history and from the other by the onward march of the low-costs, many of the full-service long-haul carriers have little interest in putting precious survival dollars into IFE.
But passengers are used to ever richer mobile communications and electronic entertainment on the ground and are demanding something similar in the air.
How will the airlines square the circle? What will their decisions mean for the IFE industry?
In this concluding Leaders' Debate, experts from airlines, system suppliers and independent consultancies will discuss the industry's likely trajectory over the next few years
14.45-15.15 COFFEE BREAK AND EXHIBITION
15.15 DELEGATES' DEBATE
Delegates debate the issues with the chairmen, consultants and industry leaders.
15.55 Conference chairman's summary
16.00 COCKTAIL RECEPTION
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