Intelsat to Provide Capacity for International In-Flight WiFi

By Doug Lung
published

Last week Intelsat S.A. announced an agreement with Gogo, the in-flight Internet service, to provide broadband satellite capacity for transoceanic routes and other areas around the globe starting in early 2013. 

Gogo will use Ku-band satellite capacity on Intelsat 19 (166 degrees East Longitude), Intelsat 21 (302 degrees EL), Intelsat 22 (72 degrees EL) and Intelsat 27 (304.5 degrees EL). These satellites will provide high-speed connectivity for airline passengers crossing portions of the Atlantic and northern Pacific oceans as well as routes over South America, Asia, Africa and Australia. Intelsat 22 and Intelsat 19 are currently in service; Intelsat 21 was launched in August, and Intelsat 27 is planned for launch in early 2013.

“We believe Intelsat brings to the table a long-term commitment to providing Aero solutions for the aviation market, including the recently announced Intelsat EpicNG, which we expect will allow us to provide the reliable and seamless satellite coverage our current and prospective airline partners must have to meet passenger demand for high-speed Internet access on transoceanic and other international flights,” said Michael Small, Gogo's president and CEO. 

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.