Gogo Business Aviation recently achieved a critical milestone as it received Supplemental Type Certification (STC) approval from the FAA for its Gogo Biz 4G system. Gogo’s Bombardier Challenger aircraft was utilized for certification testing.
“We continue to cross important thresholds on our path to launching our Gogo 4G Biz service,” said Mike Syverson, senior vice president of technology and operations for Gogo. “We continue to remain on schedule with our system development, hitting every major milestone we committed to when we announced the service. The excitement and anticipation from our customers and dealers continues to build as we near service availability.”
For those interested in adding Gogo Biz 4G, upgrade programs are available for new and existing ATG customers. Gogo already has several dealers, including Duncan Aviation, Constant Aviation, Western Aircraft and Silverhawk Aviation committed to securing STCs on a variety of aircraft, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.
Created specifically for the business aviation market, Gogo’s 4G system is a technology that leverages the company’s existing ground network of more than 250 towers and fiber backhaul that has already provided connectivity for hundreds of thousands of flight hours aboard thousands of business and commercial aircraft. The 4G equipment package will incorporate dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi service and a host of other features – all from a single, lightweight box.
The new technology will provide an industry leading 4G experience with superior connectivity for passengers. The new service will also offer Gogo Vision, which provides the latest movies and television shows via the Gogo Vision product; flight tracker; real time weather reports; Gogo Text & Talk, which allows passengers to call and text with their personal smart phones and mobile numbers; streaming video and audio; live face-to-face conversations through a user’s favorite application; email with attachments; and web browsing – on a proven network in the continental U.S. and large portions of Alaska and Canada.
Additionally, Gogo Biz 4G provides an upgrade path to Gogo’s Next Gen network that is expected to produce speeds up to 100 Mbps. The Next Gen network, scheduled to launch in 2018, will use a proprietary modem, a new beam-forming antenna and unlicensed spectrum to produce that level of performance. It will utilize LTE technology and leverage Gogo’s existing North American network and infrastructure of more than 250 towers.
