tibutch don't worry!Cobham is not going to walk all over us. They have nothing to do with the software that is AFIRS or software inside the Swiftbroadband unit. They are supplying the hardware that supports the system -the antenna and terminals. The terminals are the end-point devices on the plane into which the information from AFIRS or Swiftbroadband software can be delivered and from there transmitted to the satellites and then onwards to the UpTime server.
Inmarsat has agreement with others as well such as Rockwell Collins, Honeywell, and Sitaonair to install their antennas and terminals. So these companies will all be resellers of Swiftbroadband to the airlines and competing with each other. But the AFIRS software will be part of the Swiftbroadband system in each case.
Here is a description of what a Terminal is:
A
terminal is the point at which a
conductor from an
electrical component, device or network comes to an end and provides a point of connection to external
circuits. A terminal may simply be the end of a wire or it may be fitted with a connector or fastener. In network analysis, terminal means a point at which connections can be made to a network.