G650 and G650ER Can Now Utilize Viasat's Ka-band or Dual-band In-flight Connectivity Systems

Viasat's business aviation in-flight connectivity (IFC) system received an STC from the FAA through Gulfstream, certifying the use of its Ka-band IFC system on the Gulfstream G650 and Gulfstream G650ER business jets.

When combined with its prior FAA STC for the Viasat Ku-band system, Gulfstream operators get a powerful tail-mounted Dual-band (Ka-Ku) service offering.

Receiving the Ka-band STC ensures passengers and crew flying on Gulfstream's G650 and G650ER receive a premium cabin internet experience over the most heavily traveled flight routes. Viasat's expanding Ka-band coverage combined with its recent announcement of no speed caps across all Ka-band service plans, will allow Gulfstream G650 and G650ER operators to experience home-like performance in the sky with the fastest available download speeds in the large cabin business jet segment. This in turn will enable passengers and crew to simultaneously enjoy data-rich, business-critical productivity and entertainment apps from video-conferencing and accessing VPN/cloud content to email, high-definition streaming services, live TV and more.

Viasat recently removed internet speed limits delivered to the aircraft across all of its business aviation Ka-band service plans. The move represents an industry-first and provides an entirely new premium IFC experience for its Ka-band and hybrid (Dual-band) business jet customers. The new service plans offer uncapped speeds made possible by the world's highest-capacity satellite network combined with Viasat's compact and lightweight hardware. In recent Ka-band speed tests, customers have seen 40 Mbps and higher across the new service plans, allowing for a more enriched in-flight connectivity experience.

The new Ka-band FAA STC now makes the Dual-band IFC experience a reality for Gulfstream G650 and G650ER operators. Announced in 2015, Viasat's Ku-band system has been available across both aircraft types, but now when combined with Viasat's FAA-approved Ka-band system, Gulfstream G650 and G650ER operators will be able to take advantage of Viasat's Ka-band system performance and reliability along with the reach of its global Ku-band network, which will allow an aircraft to leverage the ability to shift between networks, utilizing Ku-band to supplement Ka-band services.

"Combining our Ka- and Ku-band solutions will allow passengers aboard the Gulfstream G650 and G650ER to experience the fastest cabin internet speeds available in business aviation," said Claudio D'Amico, business area director, Business Aviation, Viasat. "As a result, Gulfstream's longest-range jet passengers and crew will be able to simultaneously experience high-speed internet connections for streaming high-quality content and accessing critical business and entertainment applications. We believe that Viasat's industry-leading connectivity combined with Gulfstream's performance standard creates tremendous value."

The STC is for Viasat's Global Aero Terminal 5510, which taps into the ViaSat-1, ViaSat-2 and European Ka-band satellite platform, and is expected to be forward-compatible with Viasat's next-generation satellite systems. Forward-compatibility will allow customers to install the Viasat shipset and subscribe to a Viasat service package today, and be able to access additional satellite capacity, including larger data volumes, expanded coverage, and higher speeds once Viasat launches its ViaSat-3 satellite constellation.

Available now, Gulfstream large cabin G650 and G650ER business jet customers can deploy either the Viasat Ka-band, Ku-band or the Dual-band IFC systems.

FMI: www.viasat.com