System Deployment Slated for Q4 2023

Duncan Aviation, in partnership with Gogo Business Aviation, is about the business of actively developing several additional 5G Supplemental Type Certifications (STCs) for Gogo’s inchoate 5G system. Duncan seeks to provision multiple models of popular business aircraft with 5G capability.

Gogo vice-president of aftermarket Dave Salvador stated: “The Duncan Aviation partnership on the active development of a comprehensive 5G STC portfolio is leading the industry as we prepare to launch 5G service later this year. There is great anticipation in the market for 5G and the enhanced inflight connectivity experience it will deliver, and these STCs are a critical component.”

The Gogo 5G STCs being developed by Duncan will cover the following in-service aircraft:

• Bombardier Global Express, 5000, XRS, 5500, 6000, 6500
• Bombardier Challenger CL-650, CL-605, CL-604
• Bombardier Challenger 300, 350
• Gulfstream GIV, G300, G400 
• Gulfstream GIV-X, G350, G450
• Citation 560XL, XLS, XLS+ 

Additional aircraft models will be added to the program as first-article aircraft are identified.

Nate Klenke, completions and modifications sales manager at Duncan Aviation’s Lincoln, Nebraska/Lincoln Municipal Airport (LNK) facility, remarked: “We are excited to support business operators in their quest for continually improving their connectivity in flight. As an industry leader in the installation and certification of connectivity solutions and a longtime partner with Gogo, we are committed to developing solutions that allow customers to take full advantage of Gogo’s upgraded 5G network.”

Aircraft equipped with Gogo’s AVANCE L5 air-to-ground inflight Wi-Fi system may be upgraded straight-away to Gogo 5G. Currently, Gogo is offering significant savings—up to $100,000 in rebates—through the company’s First To Fly promotion.

Gogo 5G is expected to deliver an average of 25-megabits-per-second (Mbps), with peak-speeds in the 75-80 Mbps range. To address the increasing demand for data-heavy interactive services the likes of video conferencing, the network has been designed to deliver high throughput with low latency.

The multi-bearer capability and software-centric design of Gogo’s AVANCE platform allows customers to future-proof their inflight connectivity investments, and offers upgrade paths to Gogo’s 5G and global Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite-based networks.

At the 2019 NBAA-BACE, Gogo declared its commitment to building a 5G network embodying bleeding-edge aviation connectivity. At 2022’s NBAA-BACE—in an instance of commendable follow-through—Gogo announced it had completed and deployed the entirety of its 150-site, nationwide 5G network. 

Regrettably, Samsung announced soon thereafter that it had discovered a manufacturing error in the first production run of its 5G chips—a salient component of Gogo’s 5G aspirations. The South Korean tech giant subsequently estimated initial deliveries of subject chips would be delayed until mid-2023.

True to its word, Samsung announced in January 2023 that its 5G chips had passed a critical design review and were in fabrication with deliveries expected to commence midyear.

In light of the happy news from South Korea, Gogo posits its 5G service will launch commercially in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The Duncan Aviation STCs have facilitated upwards of 265 installations of Gogo’s AVANCE L5 system. Upon completion of the 5G STCs, Duncan will perform the installations at its full-service facilities in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska; Provo, Utah; and additional yet-to-be announced locations among its 26 satellite locations.

As of 31 December 2022, Gogo reported 3,279 business aircraft flying with its AVANCE L5 or L3 system installed; 6,935 aircraft flying with the company’s ATG systems onboard; and 4,475 aircraft with narrowband satellite connectivity installed.

FMI: www.duncanaviation.aero