sulting in five times higher internet speeds. But Gogo’s 4G bandwidth still was limited to 4 MHz. In 2019, Gogo clearly upped the ante in the air-to- ground sector by announcing it would field the first 5G network for aviation. Compared to 4G, 5G incorporates more powerful soft- ware to use available bandwidth more efficiently, there- by increasing connection speeds up to 100 times. Even more importantly, Gogo’s 5G adds 60 MHz of unlicensed bandwidth in the 2.4 GHz S-band range to the 4MHz it already owns in 800 MHz range, giving it 16 times more capacity. And 5G interface technology shrinks latency from 250 milliseconds to 1 millisecond, virtually elim- inating the lag between keyboard entries and website responses. With Gogo AVANCE 5G, users can expect consistent 20 to 25 megabytes-per-second (Mbps) connection speeds, on par with most of today’s high-end SatCom systems but without the latency. Gogo now boasts full continental U.S. 5G coverage with its 150 ground stations and is now ex- panding its network into southern Canada. AVANCE equipment typical runs $120,000, and monthly subscriptions range from $4,995 with no vid- eo streaming to $9,995, which includes video streaming and unlimited data. Gogo, though, now has a formidable challenger. Char- lotte, North Carolina-based SmartSky Networks, found- ed in 2011, built the first 4G LTE aviation data communi- cation system in the U.S. And now it’s expanding into 5G using the 60 MHz of bandwidth it owns in the 2.4 GHz S-band spectrum. SmartSky has a high-density network of 300-plus ground stations that provide consistent, full continental America coverage, according to company founder and president Ryan Stone. The SmartSky ground station network generates 30,000-plus individual beams assigned to individual air- craft. An aircraft typically will be in view of one station’s
assigned beam for only 20 to 25 seconds before being passed off to an adjacent station. SmartSky uses a patented “wedge” or horizontally po- larized signal architecture that nearly eliminates poten- tial interference from millions of 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi boxes on the ground. Two SmartSky avionics and subscription packages are available. Dual antenna Flagship equipment, ranging from $200,000 to $240,000 installed, and costing $3,495 to $9,995 per month, depending upon subscription, is avail- able for larger business aircraft, such as Bombardier Chal- lenger 600 series jets, Dassault Falcon 900/2000, Embraer Legacy 600/650 bizliners, and Gulfstream IV/V series air- planes. Users can bank on 20 to 25 Mbps download speeds and 15 to 20 Mbps upload speeds, according to Stone. Single-antenna Lite equipment is priced at $130,000 installed, and subscriptions rates are $995 per month for the first 10 hours online and $99 per hour for addi- tional time. Connection speeds are 6 to 10 Mbps. Lite is intended for smaller aircraft, including the Learjet 60. STCs are in progress for Challenger 300/350/3500, Gulf- stream G200, Pilatus PC-12, Beech King Air 200/300 series aircraft, and the Embraer Phenom 100. Subscrip- tions are available through Honeywell Forge aerospace operations solutions. Stone says SmartSky is designed to complement, not replace, SatCom IFC, as its system offers competitive connection speeds but at markedly lower subscription rates. He also notes 5G uses software-driven radios and networks, providing growth potential to 6G and later generations of equipment without the need to replace avionics hardware. LOW EARTH ORBIT SATCOM LEO SatCom IFC requires much lower power avionics than the boxes used for GEO IFC because satellites and aircraft are 30 times closer to each other. There is no
Gogo now offers Galileo KU-band SatCom equipment that links to OneWeb’s LEO constellation, thereby complementing its 5G AVANCE air-to-ground IFC systems.
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