Gogo currently provides in-flight Internet service to Delta Airlines and other carriers using a network of ground-based sites across the United States. The company has now announced that it was partnering with satellite equipment provider AeroSat to provide Ku-band satellite Internet connectivity to commercial airlines.
“As a company, Gogo has always considered itself technology neutral,” said Gogo's president and CEO, Michael Small. “Our goal is to provide the right technology to meet the connectivity needs of any aircraft size and any aircraft mission. By adding a Ku-based offering, we will be qualified to offer our airline partners a wide range of technology solutions. Whether it’s by using our exclusive air to ground and ATG-4 technologies, Ku-satellite or, in the near future, Inmarsat’s Global Xpress Ka-satellite technologies, we expect to be able to service all aircraft.”
The Ku-band technology will allow Gogo to provide Internet access to carriersf lying overseas by the end of this year. Testing of the Global Xpress Ka-aeronautical services will begin after the launch of the first of three Inmarsat-5 satellites, currently scheduled for mid-2013. Global Xpress service from Gogo should be available in late 2014 or early 2015.
