SmartSky scored a legal victory this week with the US Patent Office declining to institute an inter partes review of U.S. Patent No. 9,312,947 (“the ‘947 patent”), a challenge lodged by Gogo in April. The ruling at this stage is based on the USPTO’s believe that Gogo “has not demonstrated a reasonable likelihood of prevailing in demonstrating that at least one challenged claim of the ’947 patent is unpatentable over the prior art of record.” As a result, the issue won’t even make it to a formal hearing for review.
inflight connectivity
Vistara launches inflight wifi service on Dreamliner fleet
After years of promises and product evolution Vistara’s service from Delhi to London on the 787-9 will deliver a major milestone for the inflight connectivity industry. Inflight wifi service will fly on an Indian airline tonight for the first time, powered by Nelco and Panasonic Avionics
Intelsat sees upside in commercial aviation vertical
As Intelsat moves towards closing on its recently announced deal to acquire Gogo’s Commercial Aviation business the company faces one question more significant than the rest: How will this deal work out better at Intelsat than it did for Gogo.
Gogo’s AVANCE L3 now available line-fit on Pilatus PC-24
New Pilatus PC-24 buyers can now choose to have the AVANCE L3 inflight wifi solution from Gogo installed at the factory. The type joins the PC-12 NGX in holding STCs for installation and Pilatus offering as a line-fit solution to customers.
WSS fights back against SmartSky’s legal claims
Wireless Systems Solutions issued a statement late Monday disputing the charges levied by SmartSky in a federal lawsuit. Calling the filing retaliatory, WSS’s Laslo Gross spoke with PaxEx.Aero about the claims and what he expects in the next steps of the case.
SmartSky sues supplier over IP theft, delays network deployment
One of SmartSky’s suppliers is accused of stealing the inflight connectivity company’s intellectual property and trying to sell it as an independent ATG network rather than delivering the contracted goods to the company. This one is gonna get messy, folks.
Qatar Airways hits 100 aircraft milestone fitted with Inmarsat’s GX Aviation
Qatar Airways now operates 100 aircraft with “Super Wi-Fi,” its branding for the Inmarsat GX Aviation inflight connectivity solution. The most recent addition to the fleet is A7-ALC, an A350-900. Qatar Airways is the leading operator of the GX solution around the globe.v
Digging in to the ATG deal between Gogo and Intelsat
With the infusion of new cash coming as part of the Intelsat deal Gogo is well-positioned to invest in its updated air-to-ground (ATG) network, branded “Gogo 5G.” And the company has high hopes for increased revenue that network will deliver, both from its Business Aviation customers and from Intelsat. The latter secured a 10-year exclusive contract to resell Gogo’s ATG connectivity to commercial airlines and the (mostly) regional jets flying with the system installed as part of the deal to acquire the Commercial Aviation business.
SkyFive makes major 5G inflight connectivity progress in China
SkyFive is betting big on inflight connectivity in China. The upstart air-to-ground (ATG) network infrastructure provider recently announced a Strategic Technology Partnership with Airbus. The partnership also includes China Mobile as the local mobile telecom provider.
Intelsat emerges as leading contender for Gogo’s Commercial Aviation business
We could learn the fate of Gogo’s Commercial Aviation (CA) business by the end of the month, assuming some details in a recent Intelsat bankruptcy filing play out. The latter filed for approval to increase its Debtor-in-Possession (DIP) funding as part of a transaction it hopes to consummate by 31 August.