Gogo Delays 5G In-flight Connectivity Network Deployment to 2022

Gogo Delays 5G In-flight Connectivity Network Deployment to 2022

Gogo CEO Oakleigh Thorne says their software-centric AVANCE technology is the company’s “hidden gem” to unlocking 5G connectivity on business aircraft. (Gogo)

Gogo CEO Oakleigh Thorne told investors that the in-flight connectivity (IFC) service provider will deploy its 5G network a year later than planned during the company’s March 11 fourth quarter 2020 earnings call.

Thorne’s comments come in the third month of Gogo’s first year as an all-business aviation company, after the sale of its commercial aviation business to Intelsat was completed in December 2020. Gogo’s 5G network will become accessible to business aviation operators in North America as a single channel, combining their existing network’s 4 megahertz of licensed spectrum with 60 megahertz of 2.4 unlicensed spectrum.

The company’s new 5G network will leverage the existing 250 towers that enable its current 3G and 4G IFC network service on business jets today. The 5G network will use an unlicensed spectrum in the 2.4 GHz band, with a new modem and beamforming technology providing the airplane-to-ground station link.

“We’re extremely pleased with the progress our team and our partners Cisco, Airspan, and FIRST RF have made on this project. However, as is true of many projects in the telecom and satellite space our schedule has slipped, primarily because of a supply chain delay for one particular microchip. And we now expect to deploy the network in 2022 instead of 2021,” Thorne said.

Thorne also provided more details on how 5G will be enabled onboard business jets that are equipped with their AVANCE platform. AVANCE, enabled by a modem, and antennas, integrates a range of smart cabin features, and includes a built-in smart router that operators can manipulate for cockpit data as well as in-flight texting or calling.

“I don’t think we’ve done justice to how AVANCE is truly a software-centric platform,” Thorne said, referring to how Gogo has marked AVANCE in recent years. “So, what do we mean by software-centric? We mean that like Apple, where iOS is the operating system for all of their devices, AVANCE is our operating system and all of our devices whether L3 or L5 on the plane, our applications in the ground, on the ground – in the cloud on the ground, they all run on the same software.”

When 5G becomes available, business jet users could also use AVANCE to access multiple networks through one central in-flight portal.

Gogo’s 5G concept of operations.

“As I mentioned with 5G, it can aggregate multiple bearers or multiple networks into one channel, or SSID [Service Set IDentifier], if one wants to expand capacity for certain users on the airplane. It’s engineered to be extensible, easily supporting the addition of new products and features, which soon we’ll be able to load over the air,” Thorne said.

Selling their commercial aviation division to Intelsat has also already proven to have come at a great time for Gogo as well. Gogo entered 2020 with 5,669 subscribers to its North American IFC network and finished the year increasing that number to 5,778.

Among business jets equipped with Gogo in North American airspace, flight activity for both charter and fractional operators was up through the end of February. Corporate flight departments also completed 75 percent of their February 2020 flight counts, according to Thorne.

Overall average Gogo data consumption per flight through the first two months of the year was also 20 percent above the average consumption that occurred during the same period a year ago.

“Though the business aviation market is relatively small compared to other mobility verticals, it holds a lot of opportunity for a niche-focused company like Gogo. 66 percent of the world’s business aircraft are registered in North America,” Thorne said. “And more than 70 percent of those roughly 18,000 aircraft do not yet have broadband in-flight connectivity. For the last five years, Gogo has added an average net of 400 aircraft online per year and we feel we can sustain that pace or a little better over our five-year planning horizon.”

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Widerøe Joins Rolls-Royce and Tecnam Partnership to Launch All-Electric Aircraft Service

Rolls-Royce, Tecnman, and Widerøe are partnering to launch an all-electric passenger-carrying aircraft for the commuter aircraft market in Scandinavia. (Rolls-Royce)

Rolls-Royce, Tecnman, and Widerøe are partnering to launch an all-electric passenger-carrying aircraft for the commuter aircraft market in Scandinavia, according to a March 11 release. The aircraft would start service in 2026. 

“We are highly excited to be offered the role as launch operator, but also humble about the challenges of putting the world’s first zero-emissions aircraft into service,” Andreas Aks, chief strategy officer at Widerøe, said in a statement. “Our mission is to have all new capabilities, processes and procedures required for a zero-emissions operator, designed and approved in parallel with the aircraft being developed and certified.”

Norway has committed to making all domestic flights zero emissions by 2040. Widerøe alone flies 400 flights per day 75 percent of which are less than 275 km, according to the release. 

Rolls-Royce and Tecnam have an existing partnership to develop the P-Volt, an 11-seat all-electric aircraft, which could be advantageous for short take-off and landing routes often traveled on the north and west coasts of Norway. (Rolls-Royce)

“Norway’s extensive network of short take-off and landing airports is ideal for zero-emissions technologies,” Stein Nilsen, chief executive at Widerøe, said in a statement. “This aircraft shows how quickly new technology can and will be developed, and that we are on track with our ambition of flying with zero emissions around 2025.”

Rolls-Royce and Tecnam have an existing partnership to develop the P-Volt, an 11-seat all-electric aircraft, which could be advantageous for short take-off and landing routes often traveled on the north and west coasts of Norway, according to the release. 

“It is incredible to see the interest around the P-Volt, not only coming from regional airlines, but also from smart mobility-based companies,” Fabio Russo, chief project R&D and product development at Tecnam, said in a press statement. “This last year has demonstrated the importance of promoting capillary connections between small communities while reducing the congestion of the main hubs. The P-Volt, like the P2012 Traveller today, will perfectly fit the scope of this program. We are honored and pleased to see the level of enthusiasm Widerøe and our partner Rolls-Royce are dedicating to this project.”

Rolls-Royce and Widerøe also had a previous partnership from 2019 to develop electrical aircraft, according to the release. 

“Electrification will help us deliver our ambition to enable the markets in which we operate achieve net-zero carbon by 2050,” Rob Watson, director of Rolls-Royce Electrical, said in a statement. “This collaboration strengthens our existing relationships with Tecnam and Widerøe as we look to explore what is needed to deliver an all-electric passenger aircraft for the commuter market. It also demonstrates Rolls-Royce’s ambitions to be the leading supplier of all-electric and hybrid-electric propulsion and power systems across multiple aviation markets.”

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AiRanger Unmanned Aircraft Gets Sagetech’s Detect and Avoid System

Sagetech Avionics and American Aerospace have signed a memorandum of understanding to integrate a detect and avoid system on the AiRanger unmanned aircraft. (Sagetech)

Sagetech Avionics and American Aerospace ISR (AA ISR) are partnering to integrate Sagetech’s Detect and Avoid (DAA) system on AA ISR’s AiRanger unmanned aircraft system (UAS), according to a March 10 press release from the company. 

The prototype will begin testing by the end of 2021 with a certifiable prototype ready in Q1 of 2022, according to the release. 

“Through the commercialization of our DAA capability, partnerships like our work with AA ISR on the NASA SIO help inform the appropriate physical configuration, such as interfacing with airborne sensors like radar, and ensuring the performance of the system meets the needs of the AiRanger platform as well as the intent of NASA’s integration efforts,” Tom Furey, CEO of Sagetech Avionics, told Avionics International via email. “Once the system is complete, it will be compatible with most aircraft platforms without special modification requirements.” 

Furey said Sagetech’s DAA system which at its core is an Airborne Collision Avoidance System (ACAS) will be certifiable by the Federal Aviation Administration to TSO-c211. 

“As members of various RTCA and ASTM committees, we help both inform the standards-making bodies of technological capabilities, and design our products to meet the emerging standards,” Furey said. “Other systems identifying themselves as Detect and Avoid solutions are really sensors, which will provide input into a certifiable, ACAS-based solution.” 

The DAA system uses a transponder, interrogator, an ACAS-based DAA computer, software package, and other essential components, according to the release. 

“ACAS takes cooperative traffic input from passive or active surveillance sensors, which are part of our solution and ensure compatibility with manned aircraft in the NAS [national airspace],” Furey said. “Other input comes from non-cooperative sensors such as radar, EO/IR, or acoustic sensors, which are third-party sensors.  The ACAS/DAA system then fuses these sensor inputs, and provides avoidance maneuvers based on sophisticated algorithms developed by MIT Lincoln Labs and Johns Hopkins APL and approved by the FAA.”

The addition of Sagetech’s DAA system on AA ISR UAS will get the AiRanger closer to receiving type certification from the FAA. 

“Type certifications require proving the safety of the entire aircraft solution to the FAA,” Furey said. “Using components that can be TSO’d (FAA component level certification) simplifies the certification process by eliminating the need to prove the efficacy of individual subsystems. A certifiable DAA system will be critical to type certifications which allow routine BVLOS [beyond visual line of sight] operations in the NAS [National Airspace System].” 

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