Viasat has announced a concept for business aviation that changes how inflight connectivity performance is measured. It aligns with a new report published by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School.
Redefining In-Flight Connectivity in Business Aviation: What Really Matters to Private Jet Passengers observes that connectivity performance has traditionally been measured by peak network speeds, even though this singular metric doesn’t reflect the moments that truly matter to private jet passengers – such as joining a board meeting without the connection dropping, closing multi-million dollar deals without disruption or watching crucial sporting moments without buffering.
The industry must move beyond measuring speed alone to focus on Quality of Service (QoS), incorporating broader metrics such as latency, jitter, packet loss and bandwidth, states the report. It advocates that business aviation inflight connectivity providers use Quality of Experience (QoE) as their guide and translate technical performance into simple measurements that passengers can understand.
The report’s author, Michael Schrage, Research Fellow at MIT Sloan School of Management, said: “Peak network speeds have been the primary measure of business aviation inflight connectivity performance for too long. However, a single, holistic QoE score analysing several key metrics provides a more sophisticated measurement – one that looks beyond what the network delivered to whether users accomplished their objectives without friction.
“In business aviation, where even momentary outages can ruin multi-million-dollar deals, the move from engineering metrics to experience outcomes must be navigated at altitude and speed. It’s a fundamental shift that recognises connectivity as mission-critical infrastructure, impacting passenger satisfaction and aircraft utilisation. Longer-term, it can evolve with smart AI-driven approaches that predict and optimise outcomes in real-time, not just measure them.”
Viasat has introduced iQe (In-flight Quality of Experience), a market-first concept for its premium JetXP inflight broadband service. Designed with business aviation in mind, the new concept focuses on the real-time, end-to-end experience of every passenger.
iQe leverages AI and advanced analytics to constantly monitor a comprehensive range of network metrics, delivering a single, intuitive QoE score that instantly shows connectivity performance at a glance.
Kai Tang, Head of Business Aviation at Viasat, said: “It’s clear that the business aviation industry is shifting its focus from peak speed alone to the overall quality of experience.”
The iQe application will be available early in 2026 through major app stores as well as a browser-based version, with secure login credentials to ensure user privacy.
