The first seven towers of Gogo’s new 5G air-to-ground network are now online. The company announced the successful activation of its testbed as “on schedule, and on budget” as of the end of 2021.
air-to-ground
SkyFive, Pivotel plane air-to-ground connectivity trial in Australia
Air-to-ground connectivity is coming to Australia. ATG infrastructure specialist SkyFive announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Australia’s Pivotel to undertake a detailed technical evaluation and proof-of-concept trial for the solution across a large swath of the country between Dabbo and Sydney.
Flying Colours to sell, install SmartSky connectivity
Flying Colours Corp. the international maintenance, repair, overhaul, and completions company, signed an agreement with North Carolina-based SmartSky Networks to act as a sales and installation facility for SmartSky’s air-to-ground connectivity equipment.
SmartSky announces ATG availability for regional airlines
Building on its announcement last month at NBAA, SmartSky took advantage of the APEX EXPO event in Long Beach, CA this week to formally launch business operations for commercial regional airlines across the Continental United States (CONUS). The company’s high speed air-to-ground network provides a new alternative for airline looking to bring high performing in-flight connectivity to the smaller aircraft in their fleet.
Making the Business (Aviation) case for LEO at Gogo
“We are in active conversations in the LEO and ESA world.”
That comment from Gogo CEO Oakleigh Thorne earlier this summer kicked off significant speculation on what the next next generation (after Gogo 5G) will look like.
Gogo sees LEO as part of its future
Gogo reported its first quarterly profit in history on record service revenues in Q3 2021. And the company is not slowing down. Executives continue to push the potential for future growth opportunities, both terrestrial and satellite-based, while also still talking down competitive inroads.
Gogo snags 5G STC partnership for 30 aircraft types
Gogo announced plans to develop STCs for more than 30 aircraft types as part of its 5G rollout. The deal will see Duncan Aviation provide engineering and certification services for a broad range of business jets.
Aegean activates WiFi with Inmarsat’s EAN
Aegean Airlines is the next customer for Inmarsat’s European Aviation Network. The Greek airline installed the hybrid satellite/terrestrial in-flight connectivity solution on at least four aircraft so far, with one known to be active.
Gogo boasts 25 Mbps per plane (or more!) for new 5G network
How fast will connections on the upcoming Gogo 5G network be? The company anticipates delivering 25 megabits per second (Mbps) on average to any connected aircraft. Peak speeds are expected in the 75-80 megabits per second range.
IFC Trash Talking
NBAA has come and gone. Both Gogo and SmartSky made major announcements about their upcoming next-gen air-to-ground connectivity solutions. Both obliquely attacked the other in those releases, hinting at why they would be the better choice for a business jet fleet.