Gogo Inflight Internet

Infobox_Company
company_name = Gogo Inflight
company_
company_type = Private
foundation = 2008
location = Itasca, IL, USA
industry = Technology, Aviation
homepage = [http://www.gogoinflight.com/ www.gogoinflight.com]

The Gogo Inflight Internet is an in-flight broadband internet service offered by Aircell. Gogo allows airline passengers to connect to the internet through a system of cell towers on land.

Aircell owns and rents a total of 92 towers that cover North America, including Canada and Mexico, and up to 300 miles off-shore in some areas. The towers are cellphone towers that have been outfitted to point their signals at the sky rather than along the ground. The aircraft picks up the signal through a receiver installed on its underside. Once in the aircraft, the data signal is distributed throughout the cabin via a Wi-Fi system.Mossberg, Walter (June 19, 2008) [http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20080619/internet-a-gogo-airlines-to-offer-in-flight-access/ "Internet-a-Gogo: Airlines to Offer In-Flight Access"] ]

Connectivity and Performance

During a test by Walter S. Mossberg on a flight, coverage was continuous and he detected only small lags in speed when passing from one cell tower signal to the next. The speed of the connection during that test was comparable to a cell phone’s internet surfing speed on land or a slow home DSL connection. The speed was approximately 500-600 kb/s for downloads and 300 kb/s for uploads.

Gogo Inflight service is compatible with both Macintosh and Windows PC computers, as well as devices that have Wi-Fi capability, including BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and iPhone.

Connection onboard is similar to the experience at Wi-Fi hotspots such as coffee shops and hotels. The user connects to the network and registers in the same way they would on the ground. The network becomes accessible as soon as electronic devices are approved for use after take-off.

The service has account management and allows purchasing service before the flight using the product web site.

Participating Airlines

Gogo service began on American Airlines July 2008. The first routes served were JFK to San Francisco, JFK to LAX, and JFK to Miami. Virgin America Gogo routes are also expected in late 2008, serving flights between San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles. [http://gogoinflight.com/jahia/Jahia/site/gogo/root/participatingairlines Gogo Inflight participating airlines list] ]

American Airlines plans to try out the service on 15 of its Boeing 767 aircraft, requiring passengers to connect from their own laptops and pay a fee for the broadband access. Virgin America has committed to placing Gogo on all its planes and eventually all its routes, and installing seatback computers to allow passengers to connect without bringing their own computer along. Connectivity on Virgin America would also be available for a fee.Malik, Om (March 11, 2008) [http://gigaom.com/2008/03/11/gogo-inflight-broadband/ "U.S. In-flight Broadband Is A-gogo by Spring" ] ]

On August 5th, 2008, Delta Air Lines announced it was installing Aircell's Gogo Inflight Internet on all of its domestic aircraft within one year. [ [http://news.delta.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=11127 Delta Air Lines To Offer In-Flight Wi-Fi On All Domestic Flights] (Official Press Release: August 5, 2008)]

Aircell CEO Jack Blumenstein says they are in talks with other airlines about adding Gogo onboard.

Market Potential

Broadband internet access in the air is much welcomed by the internet-reliant public, particularly business travelers. The participating airlines hope to increase revenue with the additional fees, in a time when air travel is down and remaining customers are reluctant to pay higher prices for plane tickets. [Terdiman, Daniel (January 25, 2008) [http://news.cnet.com/In-flight-Internet-Grounded-for-life---page-2/2100-7351_3-6227736-2.html "In-flight Internet: Grounded for life?"] CNET]

See also

* OnAir
* Panasonic Avionics Corporation
* Row 44
* Connexion by Boeing

References

External links

* [http://www.gogoinflight.com Gogo Inflight Internet web site]
* [http://www.aircell.com Aircell (parent company) web site]