Inflight connectivity specialist Gogo is has secured capacity on the Intelsat 29e satellite, which will provide immediate broadband connectivity for flights over the North Atlantic.
In March 2016, Gogo selected Intelsat to provide Ku-band inflight connectivity though its EpicNG satellites and OneWeb’s planned low Earth orbit satellite constellation.
This coverage will ultimately be supplied by Intelsat 32e, Intelsat 33e and Horizons 3e. However, another satellite - Intelsat 29e - began operations earlier this year as the first satellite in the Intelsat EpicNG network.
Intelsat 29e will act as a bridge service for Gogo until Intelsat 32e becomes operational in the first quarter of 2017, expanding Gogo’s services across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Then, in 2018, the Horizons 3e spacecraft will begin operations over Asia Pacific, completing Gogo’s global high-throughput coverage.
“We opted to begin services with Intelsat 29e immediately and transition to Intelsat 32e when it becomes operational. We look forward to expanding our reach as more Intelsat EpicNG satellites become available,” Gogo president and CEO Michael Small said.
Intelsat CEO Stephen Spengler said EpicNG provides immediate improvement in performance of up to 165%.
Gogo has partnerships with 14 airlines and is installed on more than 2,500 commercial Aircraft.