IN THE NEWS Gogo tests new satellite services
Gogo has agreed with several airlines to test new satellite services that should greatly speed up download capacity. The services, which rely on low-profile antennas, could increase bandwidth to 70 megabits per second. The company’s air-to-ground technology, which relies on a network of land-based cellular towers, currently delivers 10 megabits per second. The satellite service also allows Gogo’s
airline customers to offer internet on international flights because signals do not depend on a land-based tower. Japan Airlines and Air Canada have
agreed to test the new 2Ku satellite service. Virgin America has agreed to test Gogo’s ground-to-orbit (GTO) satellite system. The company is hoping to have the
GTO device in use by the end of this year, with 2Ku following by the end of next year. The technology is currently awaiting FAA approval. Gogo currently charges passengers $5 an
hour, $16 a day, or $60 for a monthly pass to use its cellular service. But its current 10 megabit bandwith can only support a limited number of users per flight.
Cartoons for Southwest
Southwest Airlines is to add Cartoon Network to its existing inflight entertainment offering. The carrier streams free live television
programming to its passengers' wifi- equipped personal electronic devices at all phases of flight. The additional content will include Cartoon Network's popular Adventure Time, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, and Ben 10 Omniverse. It is the airline's first complete child-
centric programming and is being offered onboard all Southwest wifi-equipped aircraft (80 percent of the airline's fleet). The streaming TV service is provided through Global Eagle Entertainment Inc.
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However, said Gogo president and ceo
Michael Small, because its new satellite service will increase bandwith, Gogo should be able to lower prices. “By the time we get to 100 megabytes per second it will be different. We'll probably be trying to get as many people to use our service as possible, like other companies do. "As international flights grow, a satellite service could help Gogo expand its
market, as few international airlines have contracts with wifi providers. Gogo has already reached agreements with SES, Intelsat and Eutelsat to distribute the signals. It has managed to get permission from 180 countries to receive transmissions in their airspace, but Brazil, Russia, India and China are proving more difficult."
gogoair.com
China Eastern wifi Wale Adepoju, evp customer solutions
for Global Eagle Entertainment, said: "We're seeing a rapidly growing trend among airlines to increase content, and the addition of the Cartoon Network to Southwest's already broad live television offering is an excellent example of this."
globaleagleent.com
Selected passengers flying between Shanghai and Beijing on China Eastern Airlines are being offered wifi onboard. After verification of personal information, passengers onboard can surf the Internet, use interactive apps and WeChat, and watch video clips. Broadband signals are transmitted at 50 Mbps, but the actual working speed will be capped at about 32 Mbps in a service being jointly provided by China Eastern Airlines, China Telecom and Panasonic Avionics.
flychinaeastern.com
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