The three strategic partners which will play key roles in Gogo’s development of its 5G system and network have been announced.
“When we announced we were going to build a 5G network for aviation we stated that we would leverage the expertise of US-based companies to help us bring it to life,” said Sergio Aguirre, president of Gogo Business Aviation. “The three partners we’re announcing today are on the leading edge of wireless network technology and together we will bring the most capable network and systems in aviation.”
Gogo’s new air-to-ground (ATG) 5G network will be designed for use on business aviation aircraft and commercial regional jets operating within the contiguous US and Canada. Gogo expects the nationwide network to be available in 2021.
Cisco will provide core network solutions that will power Gogo’s high throughput, low latency nationwide 5G network.
The 5G system will use the same carrier grade technology as the Airspan Air5G product line. The Air5G platform will provide state-of-the-art 5G; virtualised-RAN base station technology that uses Massive MIMO antenna arrays for increased capacity. It also features advanced beamforming and tracking techniques, capable of communicating with an aircraft travelling in excess of 750 miles per hour, at long range, all while providing an enhanced mobile broadband 5G experience.
FIRST RF will help deploy a solution that pairs Gogo’s existing 3G and 4G networks as well as the new 5G network. FIRST RF will provide belly-mounted airborne multi-band antennas that will connect Gogo’s onboard 5G system to the Gogo 5G network on ground. This technology will include complex multiband apertures, advanced beamforming technology, and phased arrays.
