SES and Gogo Sign Major Satellite Capacity Deal to Meet Growing Demand for Inflight Connectivity over the Americas


Gogo announced a major satellite capacity deal in the aero market to meet the growing demand for high-speed inflight connectivity on travel routes over the Americas, Caribbean and North Atlantic.

Gogo has contracted major High Throughput Satellite (HTS) spot beam and wide beam capacity aboard two SES next-generation HTS satellites, SES-14 and SES-15, which are set for launch in 2017. The pair of advanced satellites will enable Gogo to support the next-generation, enhanced inflight entertainment and connectivity experience for airline passengers traveling routes over North America, including Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico and Canada, as well as Central America and the Caribbean. Gogo will also have access to HTS capacity on an additional satellite, SES-12, which is set to be launched in 2017 with high-powered spot beam and wide beam coverage over Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Russia.

"SES is pleased to extend our longstanding relationship with Gogo, a leading provider of inflight connectivity," said Elias Zaccack, SES Senior Vice President, Commercial, Americas. "On board two new satellites, SES-14 and SES-15, we have one of the best hybrid HTS solutions in the world. 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. We offer a fully redundant network at a competitive cost, using low weight and backwards compatible onboard equipment. We offer high quality gate-to-gate service with the best possible availability. Our HTS satellite constellation and customer solution thus offers unique features for aeronautical connectivity."

“Gogo is all about bringing the best passenger experience to our aviation partners. 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,” said Anand Chari, Gogo’s Chief Technology Officer. “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.”