For a company that is now mostly known for its Ku-band inflight connectivity offering the idea of bringing Ka-band services online in parallel may appear somewhat incongruous. But for Gogo, the news out this morning that it is pitching Ka-band solutions to potential customers is, according to CEO Oakleigh Thorne, more about holding to its prior commitments.
We’ve always said that we were band agnostic. With the arrival of more open Ka capacity we’re getting the chance to prove that. We’ve actually started pitching regional Ka solutions where appropriate.
But where will this new Ka (maybe 2Ka?) solution fly??
Separately Gogo announced a new contract to be signed today for “a very prestigious EMEA airline” including 2Ku and IP TV solutions on board. While Thorne declined to name the carrier he noted that it includes “a global route structure, wide body jets.” He also mentioned that the new airline customer took the opportunity to fly “a lot” on other carriers with the 2Ku system active and that “It is an airline that is extremely focused on quality of service. It is extremely rewarding to win that deal.”
Combined with a couple other recent announcements from airlines it appears that the industry is starting to shake loose again, with more contracts signed and backlogs growing.
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