Gogo has become the newest value-added manufacturer (VAM) for Iridium Certus aviation terminals. The company has also been selected as an Iridium Certus service provider, becoming the first company to design and manufacture terminals, while also providing the new L-band broadband service for business aviation.
“We’ve had a longstanding partnership with Iridium. Now, as a VAM and service provider for Iridium Certus, Gogo will be able to offer higher-speed data rates for business aircraft operating anywhere in the world,” said Scott Richter, vice-president of business and product development for Gogo Business Aviation. “Iridium Certus is not only a great complement to our current platform of systems that utilise our air-to-ground network, but will offer more choices for our customers looking to add global satellite connectivity with greater capabilities.”
Iridium Certus aims to deliver faster speeds and offer smaller form factor antennas featuring a range of throughput and service options. These options will enable a variety of capabilities for cockpit safety and electronic flight bag services as well as cabin business applications. Enabled by Iridium NEXT, Iridium Certus is poised to deliver the fastest L-band broadband speeds on the market, with eventual speeds of approximately 1.4 Mbps. Initial flight trials for Iridium Certus aviation applications will take place later this year, with commercial service introduction specifically for aviation users targeted for mid-2019.
