Airbus is attracting customer interest in its HBCplus flex inflight-connectivity solution, which can support conventional geostationary-orbit (GEO) satellite services alongside Telesat’s forthcoming Lightspeed low-Earth-orbit (LEO) network. The aircraft terminal could allow airlines to add or switch to LEO capacity without installing a separate antenna, as Telesat begins deploying infrastructure for Lightspeed.
Airbus views GEO and LEO as complementary within a multi-orbit connectivity strategy. HBCplus currently uses SES’ Open Orbits network, combining GEO and O3b mPOWER medium-Earth-orbit satellites, and provides about 300 Mbps in service. The existing flex terminal is designed to support the gigabit-per-second link speeds expected from Lightspeed.
Hughes Network Systems and TCI Aircraft Interiors have roadmaps to provide Lightspeed access through their managed-service offerings. SES is also an HBCplus managed service provider, although no SES agreement to use Telesat capacity has been confirmed.
The interest does not represent a confirmed airline order, capacity contract or commercial launch of Lightspeed connectivity through HBCplus. Airbus plans a modular HBCplus version for 2028, but its capabilities remain unconfirmed and the hardware has not yet been flight-tested. The report did not identify interested airlines, commercial terms or a service-entry date for the combined offering.