Gogo Says The Biz 4G Will Usher In A New Generation Of Connectivity For Business Aviation

GOGO, the provider of in-flight connectivity and wireless in-flight entertainment solutions last week successfully completed the initial phase of flight testing for its Gogo Biz 4G service, marking a significant milestone in the company’s development of a new generation of connectivity and enhanced capabilities for business aviation.

“Gogo Biz 4G will deliver a true 4G in-flight experience on a robust, reliable network that business aircraft operators can count on,” said John Wade, Gogo Business Aviation’s executive vice president and general manager. “Flight-test performance has exceeded our expectations to date. Market interest is high and we remain on track for first shipments in early 2017.”

Gogo said that during a recent four-hour flight-test sortie aboard the company’s Challenger 600 testbed, multiple streaming video and streaming audio sessions were conducted simultaneously on a variety of devices – including laptops, tablets and phones.

Gogo said they designed the initial phase of testing to put Gogo Biz 4G through its paces in the harshest real-world conditions including testing air and ground congestion. They said testing was conducted at full range from the respective ground sites – up to 150 miles – at typical business aircraft cruise altitudes (30,000-34,000 feet) in a live commercial environment with a plethora of other connected airline and business aircraft traffic in the vicinity.

Specifically, flight profiles covered both rural and congested urban areas – including the high-traffic departure and arrival corridors for Chicago O’Hare Airport. Gogo said flight testing was conducted using fully certified hardware on their advanced air-to-ground network.

Created specifically for the business aviation market, Gogo says the Biz 4G is a specially designed application of their latest air-to-ground technology that leverages its existing air-to-ground network and technology that has already flown hundreds of thousands of hours aboard thousands of business and commercial aircraft. The Gogo Biz 4G equipment package will incorporate dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi service and a host of other features – all from a single, lightweight box.

Gogo says the Biz 4G solution now includes the following additional capabilities:

• Integrated Gogo Vision service. Provides a complete, turn-key in-flight entertainment system with the latest Hollywood movies, TV, flight tracker, destination weather, etc.
• Integrated Gogo Text & Talk service. Allows passengers to call and text with personal smartphones and passengers’ own mobile numbers.
• Smart cabin capabilities. Provides rich capabilities such as multi-network management, data compression, connectivity on the ground in more than 120 countries via integrated 4G terrestrial modem, seamless CMS (Cabin Management System) integration, and much more.
• Customer loyalty program. Special hardware and airtime incentive programs with pre-installation provision kits for existing Gogo Biz customers to upgrade to Gogo Biz 4G in early 2017
• Gogo Biz 4G upgrade program. Allows business aircraft operators to install a complete Gogo Biz connectivity package today with seamless upgrades to Gogo Biz 4G in early 2017.

Gogo also points to the following Biz 4G Features:

• Reliable 4G performance on a proven network in the continental U.S., and large portions of Alaska and Canada
• Streaming video and audio from services like Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, and Spotify
• Face-to-face conversations with your favorite applications
• E-mail with attachments
• Web browsing
• Voice
• Advanced air-to-ground technology operating on licensed spectrum
• VPN support

From an installed customer base of more than 9,000 aircraft worldwide, Gogo says they have more than 100 million in-flight wireless sessions across business and commercial aviation, and more than $1 billion of in-flight technology investment to date.
 
The company says their existing range of Gogo Biz solutions will remain available after Gogo Biz 4G shipments begin.

www.gogoair.com