Gogo’s business aviation unveiled its new antenna for the business aviation LEO broadband service the company is launching with OneWeb. (Photo, courtesy of Gogo Business Aviation)
Gogo Business Aviation is launching a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband service for business aviation using the OneWeb network and an antenna designed by Hughes Network Systems. The company said in a Monday announcement this is the first LEO service for business aviation.
It uses the Hughes electronically steerable antenna (ESA) the company debuted earlier this year for fixed and mobile connectivity. The LEO service will include a fuselage-mounted unit with an integrated antenna, modem, power supply and RF converter. Gogo said that existing customers of its Avance service will only have to install the antenna.
The service will allow Avance L3 and L5 customers in North America to combine capacity from OneWeb’s LEO satellite network with Gogo’s air-to-ground (ATG) network.
Gogo said the antenna assembly is small enough for business aircraft from super light jets and large turboprops to ultra long-range jets. Gogo serves the business aviation market, after Intelsat purchased its Commercial Aviation segment in 2020.
In March, during SATELLITE 2022, Hughes unveiled a prototype of the new ESA, designed for the OneWeb LEO constellation. John Corrigan, senior vice president of engineering, demonstrated how the new antenna connects and hands off the signal from one orbiting satellite to the next to enable in-flight internet service.
“We’ve designed the system to reduce costs by simplifying the installation,” said Sergio Aguirre, Gogo Business Aviation’s president and COO. “We have long delivered affordable, high-quality connectivity to aircraft owners in North America, and now we want to bring those same benefits to all aircraft owners in the rest of the world.”
Gogo said the LEO service will offer low-latency connectivity that will allow for data-heavy streaming like video conferencing, live TV, and streaming TikTok.
The service will be available soon after the OneWeb network is fully launched and commercially available.
“Our agreement with Gogo Business Aviation represents a leap forward for business aviation connectivity,” said Ben Griffin, vice president of Mobility at OneWeb. “By harnessing the power of our LEO constellation to deliver robust, consistent, and reliable global coverage, OneWeb and Gogo will be able to offer an unmatched experience to business jet operators and passengers worldwide.”
This article was first published by Via Satellite, a sister publication to Avionics International, it has been edited.