For more than two years Gogo teased the idea of splitting the company between its Commercial (airline) and Business (private) Aviation segments. The rumblings ebb and flow, but by mid-July the tone of the conversation was undeniable. Now the company confirmed the news. Gogo has retained outside advisors to assist with the formal process to “evaluate our strategic options” for the business.
Satellite
Astronics still sees opportunity in BizAv IFC market
Astronics is ready to move beyond the AeroSat antenna challenges of years past. In today’s quarterly earnings call CEO Peter Gundermann exuded confidence in the potential for the company’s latest partnership, with SES and Collins Aerospace, for a tail-mount solution to fly on larger biz jets.
Amazon commits $10 billion to Kuiper LEO constellation
What does it take to put a new low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation into service? The myriad technical challenges are not to be underestimated, of course, but a lot of it comes down to money. In the case of the Amazon Kupier project that’s a $10 billion commitment.
Eutelsat expands direct retail broadband sales with Bigblu acquisition
Eutelsat has big new plans for selling retail broadband services across Europe. The company will acquire Bigblu Broadband (excluding its Nordics operations) for 38 million GBP. The deal brings approximately 50,000 customers into the network.
Eutelsat, Intelsat team up to sell QUANTUM capacity in MENA
When Eutelsat’s QUANTUM enters service in 2021 it will have two companies working to sell its capacity. A new deal with Intelsat announced today allows both companies to sell the satellite’s Ku-band capacity to customers.
Connectivity: Splitsville
‘Tis the season for restructuring in the aviation world. And for one supplier a deal years in the making may finally be on the horizon.
American Airlines takes control with new WiFi portal launch
American Airlines completed its inflight connectivity systems upgrade last year and now is taking that more difficult step, harmonizing the login portal for its passengers. An updated, unified interface deploys on the Viasat and Gogo-fitted aircraft this month.
Global Eagle refocuses on long-term outlook
There is an air of optimism, of relief emanating from the C-Suite at Global Eagle this week. And, to be sure, a realization that massive amounts of work remain for the company to truly succeed, but a conversation with CEO Josh Marks and President Per Noren suggests massive optimism now that the company’s interest payment burdens halve thanks to an agreement to convert debt to equity through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing made on Wednesday.
Skip the speed test: Viasat removes caps for BizAv connectivity
You might think that 16 megabits per second is pretty fast for an inflight wifi connection. But Viasat wants its business aviation connectivity customers to have more than that. The company officially removed speed caps from its Ka-band contracts this week, allowing aircraft owners to access whatever is available in the network, whatever the hardware and the link budget can support.
OneWeb secures funding from Bharti, UK Gov’t
The UK government and Indian telecom giant Bharti Global Limited won the assets of aspiring satellite operator OneWeb in a bankruptcy auction. Each party will invest $500 million in the company as part of the recapitalization plan. Subject to further government and regulatory approvals and funding, OneWeb will resume manufacture, launch and operation of its satellite constellation.