AeroMobile, the UK-based in-flight broadband joint venture between Arinc and Telenor, was placed into administration in late December 2009. BDO LLP has been appointed the administrator and is currently in the process of seeking new buyers for the…
AeroMobile, the UK-based in-flight broadband joint venture between Arinc and Telenor, was placed into administration in late December 2009. BDO LLP has been appointed the administrator and is currently in the process of seeking new buyers for the business.
Malcolm Cohen, business restructuring partner at BDO, said: “To allow the business to grow to its full potential, there is a need to secure further funding. We will do all we can to secure a going concern sale for this business, and in the meanwhile, we will continue to trade as normal.”
According to BDO, AeroMobile will continue to operate as usual and its ongoing contracts will be fulfilled as planned.
In a statement Telenor said that it was planning to acquire the entire venture when it is auctioned, while US-based air-to-ground (ATG) in-flight broadband specialist AirCell is also thought to be keen to make a bid.
AeroMobile was formed in 2003 by Norwegian telecoms incumbent Telenor, which owns 99.85% of the company, and US-based aviation communications company Arinc (0.15%) to provide in-flight mobile and broadband services. Utilising the satellite networks of both Iridium and Inmarsat to provide its services, AeroMobile had secured deals with a number of carriers including Emirates and Malaysia Airlines. The company’s hardware is also used by Panasonic through its eXConnect and eXPhone services that are being offered by the likes of Lufthansa.
