Gogo has expanded its in-flight Internet service to include new Ku-band technology which allows global connectivity. Gogo calls it "2Ku" and the technology uses two of the same low-profile (4.5-inch high) antennas as Gogo's "Ground-to-Orbit" (GTO) system. Japan Airlines is expected to be among the first to trial the new technology.
The new system allows peak delivery speeds of up to 70 Mbps. Gogo said the antennas are approximately two times more spectrally-efficient than other antennas in the commercial aviation market, allowing more bandwidth at reduced costs. The extra bandwidth available will allow the system to provide in-flight TV.
"Gogo has proven time and again that it's the leader in developing and operationalizing new technologies for the aero market," said Gogo president and CEO Michael Small. "2Ku is the next step in our technological evolution and is a ground-breaking new technology for the global commercial aviation market. When we launched our in-flight Internet service five years ago, we were able to deliver peak speeds to the aircraft of 3.1 Mbps through our ATG network. About a year ago, we began deployment of our next generation ATG-4 service, which took peak speeds to 9.8 Mbps. Our GTO solution takes the peak speed to 70 Mbps in the U.S. and 2Ku brings 70 Mbps to the rest of the world."
Gogo chief technology officer, Anand Chari, stated that it was anticipated that the new technology could deliver peak speeds of more than 100 Mbps when new spot beam satellite technologies are available.
