Believe it or not, communications play an almost bigger role in air travel than the logistics of getting the plane up in the air. Read on for more information on one of the biggest communications providers for the aviation industry.
Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated
ARINC, also known as Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated was established in 1929 and remains a major provider of transport communications and systems engineering solutions throughout the world. ARINC provides these services for eight primary industries – defense, airports, government, healthcare, networks, aviation, security, and transportation. ARINC has also installed their computer data networks in railroad and police cars, as well as maintain the standards for line-replaceable units.
ARINC was originally incorporated in 1929, chartered by the Federal Radio Commission to serve as the airline industry’s single licensee and coordinator of all radio communications outside of the government. The stock was held by the four major airlines of the day, and continued to be held by major airlines, such as Boeing, until a recent buyout.
ARINC Services
ARINC provides countless services to its target industries, especially aeronautics. These include services that we take for granted every day on the flight, such as in-flight broadband, Internet-based passenger check-in systems, airport check-in kiosks, and airport flight information display systems. ARINC also provides more technical services like remote radio access systems, global data networks, and wireless interoperable network solutions.
A615
ARINC Standards are prepared by the AEEC (Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee), where aviation suppliers serve as contributors in support of their airline client bases. These standards are published in series, including the 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 series. A615 is a family of standards that cover “data loading,” which is commonly used for transferring software and data both to and from avionics devices. This standard, along with all standards within the 600 series, are reference standards for avionics equipment specified in the ARINC 700 Series.
Moving Into the Future
In August of 2013, it was announced that ARINC would be sold to Rockwell Collins, a large United States-based avionics and information technology systems and services company. The sale was completed in late December of the same year. The company is now headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, but has additional regional headquarters in London. The company currently serves North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Singapore, with over 3200 employees at 120 worldwide locations.
