A partnership announced Tuesday between satellite operator SES S.A. and wireless entertainment services provider Gogo will attempt to meet demand for high-speed inflight connectivity on air journeys across the Americas, Caribbean and North Atlantic.

The launch is set for 2017 and involves major High Throughput Satellite (HTS) spot beam and wide beam capacity aboard two SES next-generation HTS satellites, SES-14 and SES-15. The advanced nature of the satellites will support next-generation, enhanced inflight entertainment and connectivity for airline passengers embarking on routes over North America, such as Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico and Canada, as well as Central America and the Caribbean. SES-12 will also provide Gogo with HTS capacity and wide beam coverage over Asia, the Middle east, North Africa and Russia following its 2017 launch.

"On board two new satellites, SES-14 and SES-15, we have one of the best hybrid HTS solutions in the world," commented Elias Zaccack, SES Senior Vice President, Commercial, Americas. "It is ideally placed to meet the dynamic demands of airlines and their passengers, who expect high-performing connectivity anywhere they go. We offer the necessary global connectivity, from Hawaii to Rome and the Arctic Circle to Patagonia."

"Gogo is all about bringing the best passenger experience to our aviation partners," continued Anand Chari, Chief Technology Officer of Gogo, which holds partnerships with 12 commercial airlines and is installed on over 2,500 commercial and 6,800 business aircraft. "This important capacity deal with SES will dramatically increase the bandwidth needed to deliver the best passenger experience possible on flights over the U.S., Canada, Central America, the Caribbean and the North Atlantic Ocean region. "Our new 2Ku inflight connectivity service was designed to take advantage of these high-powered HTS satellites. Once these advanced SES platforms are in orbit, our airline partners will be well positioned to meet their passengers’ growing demand for a connected home or office experience in the sky."

SES also holds a partnership with Global Eagle Entertainment Inc., another provider of content, connectivity and digital media solutions to airlines, which receives SES Ku-band capacity from the Luxembourg-based satellite operator.

 

Photo by SES