FAA clears Gogo’s next-gen in-flight technology

Up until now, GoGo has been using air-to-ground signals – basically, jacked-up cellular connections – to power its in-flight Wi-Fi. Latin American airline company GOL said it will install Gogo’s 2Ku services, including the company’s new IPTV solution – Gogo TV – on all its 140 aircraft. The FAA has issued the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) that is required before the gear needed for the service can be installed into aircraft.

The catch is that it will require new 2Ku hardware on planes to take advantage of it. Gogo says that it’s now installed in its own test plane and will launch commercially in 2016 on seven commercial airlines spanning 500 aircrafts. APEX has also reported that Air Canada, Japan Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines are slated to adopt the technology. According to a GoGo announcement, the FAA has cleared the company’s new “next generation” 2ku satellite broadband service service for live flight trials. These antennas form a mechanically-phased-array that are more efficient than previous antennas and can provide more bandwidth for frequent fliers demanding better and faster Internet.

Gogo says that the STC is a major milestone for the service and brings the company one-step closer to being able to launch the future of in-flight web access. However, customers can get that for half the price if they purchase a day pass before taking off. More than 2,400 aircraft are equipped with one of those services today, Nolan said, adding that the airline also has more than 150 aircraft with Ku-band service capable of delivering Wi-Fi on overwater routes. “And specifically in North America it will enhance the passenger experience and free up capacity for planes operating on our ATG network when Delta begins [to] deploy 2Ku in 2016”.