Gogo Receives STC for Boeing 747-400 Sat Connectivity

By Doug Lung
published

Gogo announced that it has received Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for a Ku-band satellite connectivity service on Boeing 747-400 aircraft. The STC will allow Gogo to being rolling out in-flight Wi-Fi service on international flights.

Gogo said it will begin testing the new service immediately. It plans to offer the service for customer usage by the first quarter of 2014, providing passengers and crew access to the Internet. It will also offer passengers “Gogo Vision”, its wireless in-flight entertainment service.

“This is a major milestone for Gogo as a company as it is a big step in clearing the way for international service,” said Michael Small, Gogo's president and CEO. “We are proud to offer a consistent global connectivity experience anywhere our customers fly; whether it's on regional aircraft, domestic mainline aircraft or these Ku-equipped 747s that travel around the world.”

The Gogo press release said the company plans to continue installing equipment on 747-400 aircraft, in additional to other international aircraft, throughout 2014.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.