In-flightWiFi
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Gogo and AeroSat get friendly on Ku-band, bring international in-flight WiFi closer
Gogo has a virtual lock on in-flight WiFi for the US, but most of us forget that everything goes dark the moment you decide to cross the border. The company already has a deal with Inmarsat for Ka-band Internet connections, and now it's partnering up with AeroSat to bring Ku-band satellite access. The tie-in will let Gogo offer precious relief from tedium on international flights, whether it's a modest hop to the Great White North or an hours-long trip across the ocean. Gogo considers the deal an interim step until Inmarsat's technology is ready, making for much quicker availability than if it had just waited until it could use Ka-band: Ku-band satellite linkups should be on airliners as soon as the end of 2012, while Ka-band won't even show its face until at least late 2014. It's unknown what kind of premium we'll pay over the $13 maximum Gogo normally charges, but if AeroSat lets us squeak in a few more Twitter updates on our way home from Barcelona, it'll be worthwhile.
Gogo grabs 1MHz spectrum from JetBlue subsidiary LiveTV, beefs up in-flight bandwidth
In-flight internet provider Gogo's been increasing its domestic presence of late, so it makes sense for the company to snag some additional spectrum as well. Its new wireless license is for a chunk of 1 MHz spectrum that Gogo got from Live TV, the subsidiary of JetBlue that handles all of that airline's in-air entertainment and communications services. Gogo's new spectrum will augment its existing Air-to-Ground network here in the US -- pending FCC approval, of course -- and provide road (sky?) warriors with a bit more bandwidth once above 10,000 feet. For all you jet-setters, we should mention that your Gulfstream's Airfone bill will be going to Gogo from now on, as LiveTV tossed the venerable voice service in the deal, too.
Three iPad giveaways in three days: day three, courtesy of Gogo!
Here's one last opportunity for you to grab a new iPad for yourself, and Gogo's pulling out all the stops to ensure you're happy with your new treasure both on the ground and in the air. See, the in-flight WiFi provider is setting you up with the chance to win a 32GB AT&T LTE version of Apple's latest slate and it's throwing in a full year of free Gogo service to go along with it. That's definitely not a shabby prize, to say the least, so you'll surely want to read the rules and leave a comment to earn yourself a shot to win. Good luck!
The Engadget Interview: ViaSat CEO Mark Dankberg on Exede and the future of in-flight WiFi
When you think about satellite internet, dismal speeds, ridiculous latency and astronomical fees are likely first to come to mind. But the only technology capable of blanketing our entire planet in connectivity is now able to provide a fast, consistent and affordable experience, thanks to one market-leading company, and the vision and leadership of Mark Dankberg. Launched from Dankberg's home in Southern California, ViaSat lit up on the map in 1986, and spent the first two decades focused on government and corporate contracts. Last year's launch of ViaSat-1, however, beamed the company straight toward the top of the North American satellite broadband market, bringing high-speed internet to the rural masses. Pair the company's Exede household product with airline contracts for in-flight WiFi, and you have one ever-growing infrastructure giant. We sat down with Dankberg -- ViaSat's CEO since inception -- at the company's Carlsbad, California headquarters, learning about the Exede service launch, a portable newsgathering rig and what the future of in-flight WiFi may look like on airlines like JetBlue and United. Join us past the break for the interview in full, and an inside look at how ViaSat plans to transform the entire satellite internet experience.
Gogo WiFi lands in more US Airways Airbuses and Embraers, intros Gogo Vision
Gogo isn't just tossing its mid-air wireless goodies toward Virgin and American, with US Airways being the latest to join the extra perks party. Per today's announcement, the airline is stuffing Gogo WiFi in a few more planes, including the Airbus A319 and A320. Other shorter (and much smaller) aircraft, the Embraer 170, 175 and 190, are also getting the in-flight WiFi treatment. Meanwhile, a quick peek at the PR below reveals Gogo is quietly launching its Vision service, allowing passengers to watch movies, shows and have access to "exclusive" shopping deals -- though, you'll have to shell out $1 to $6 more for the privilege. Maybe now you'll actually want to seek out Express flights rather than avoid them, since you'll have far fewer passengers to fight for bandwidth.
Delta teams up with Amazon to give you free WiFi access for in-flight shopping
SkyMiles distributor Delta isn't a newcomer to the land of in-flight WiFi freebies. And, while this time it's not setting a time limit on your browsing, you'll have to stay within the Amazon virtual walls to take advantage. The hook-up between the airline and online retail giant will allow passengers to do some up-in-the-clouds shopping at no cost, including its Wireless store. Delta says the goal is to offer a "convenient way to shop online at 30,000 feet for things they want on the ground." Other bits announced are also costless access to content from The Wall Street Journal and People magazine, as well as more "exclusive" deals. Now, if only we could be certain folks weren't going to be hogging all the Gogo bandwidth streaming Netflix -- we'd be set.
ViaSat residential satellite broadband internet hands-on (video)
Last Thursday, ViaSat announced pricing for its new home broadband service, which is set to deliver 12 Mbps+ download speeds (3 Mbps+ up) beginning next week for $50 per month. We just dropped by the company's demo home just a few feet from the Engadget trailer at the Las Vegas Convention Center parking lot to try it out, and were quite impressed with the speeds we saw, especially considering that data was passing through the ViaSat-1 satellite thousands of miles above the Earth. We've used other satellite internet services before, and while there's still just over a half-second of latency, bandwidth speeds were significantly faster than what we've experienced with other services in the past. HD YouTube videos loaded very quickly, after a brief delay, as did Engadget and many other media-rich news websites. We performed a speed test and registered ping speeds of about 600ms, download speeds of about 30 Mbps and upload speeds of about 2 Mbps, but results aren't as accurate as they would be with a land-based connection because of latency and the way packet data is handled. We also placed a VOIP call, and while the delay was noticeable there, it was still usable. Want to see for yourself? Jump past the break as we step through ViaSat's front door to hop online.
Delta offers up 30 minutes of free Gogo on all CES flights
Heading to join us at CES in Las Vegas? Delta is prepared to hook you up with 30 minutes of free in-flight WiFi on all of its flights to and from LAS beginning today. If you're flying in from the West Coast, that should have you covered for most of the trip. Otherwise, it's at least long enough to download your email or check to see if that farmland below is in Kansas or Nebraska. And if you opt to use social media during your flight, go ahead and throw in the #EngadgetCES as you rave about being able to tweet from the sky.
ViaSat details home broadband, 12 Mbps service to roll out on the 16th for $50 per month
Earlier this year, ViaSat launched its ViaSat-1, a 140 Gbps capacity satellite positioned over North America. We've already heard about plans to bring Ka-band coverage to the friendly JetBlue skies later this year, but now the new broadband provider has detailed residential availability as well, through the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative. NRTC members will have access to 12 Mbps service packages starting at $50 per month as soon as January 16th, finally bringing high-speed broadband to areas where fiber and cable services are not available. ViaSat may not be rolling out to consumers for another couple weeks, but the provider will be on-site at CES to demo the service in "residential, commercial airline, and satellite newsgathering" scenarios beginning Tuesday, and you better believe we'll be there to test it out.
Gogo goes global: partnership with Inmarsat to give you the internet on international flights
Ahh, Gogo, what a fantastic addition you've been to domestic airline travel. Besides keeping rowdy kids entertained with internet access, it affords well-traveled tech bloggers the ability to do what we do at 30,000 feet. And now, Gogo's wondrous WiFi will do the same for international passengers thanks to Inmarsat's Global Xpress satellite internet service. The partnership adds speedy Ka-band satellite technology to Gogo's existing air-to-ground service starting in 2013. After launching the Inmarsat-5 satellite in midyear, up to 50Mb/s speeds will be at your flying fingertips in some (currently undefined) regions, with worldwide coverage coming in 2014. Full details of your inflight future await in the PR after the break.
In-flight WiFi coming to 300 United and Continental aircraft beginning in mid-2012, entire fleet covered by 2015
Planning to fly on United or Continental at any point over the next few years? Then it looks like your odds of having in-flight WiFi will be getting increasingly better. United Continental Holdings announced today that it's signed an agreement with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to bring satellite-based WiFi connectivity to more than 300 of its aircraft beginning in mid-2012. Those aircraft will include Airbus 319 and 320 and Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777 and 787, and the company says it expects its entire mainline fleet to be covered by 2015. No specific word on any additional content or services that will come with it (or a cost, for that matter), but the company promises that the system will "enable wireless streaming of video content."
Gogo to bring enhanced WiFi to Virgin America, expands video streaming on American Airlines
Virgin America's in-flight perks are getting even perkier. This week, the domestic carrier announced that it's bringing Gogo's ATG-4 service aboard its fleet of aircraft, in a move that promises to enhance in-flight WiFi capacity by a factor of four. The upgrade is slated to roll out during the first half of 2012, when the company will begin outfitting its planes with Gogo's directional antenna, dual-modem and EV-DO Rev. B technologies. But VA isn't the only airline getting in on the Gogo game, as the in-flight entertainment company announced this week that it's expanding its new video streaming service to American Airlines, as well. American, as you may recall, became the first airline to test the Gogo Vision service back in August, aboard its fleet of 15 Boeing 767-200 planes. Now, the streaming product is slated to expand to a full 400 of AA's aircraft, bringing about 200 movies and TV shows to entertainment-starved passengers. Movies will be available for 24 hour rentals, with TV purchases good for a full 72 hours. Unexpired rentals, meanwhile, will still be available once you land and can be accessed with the same browser and device you used aboard the flight. No word on final pricing, though Gogo is extending its introductory offer ($1 per TV show and $4 per movie) through October 15th. Taxi past the break for more details, in a pair of press releases.
American Airlines rolls out in-flight Entertainment On Demand, lets you continue watching after you land
American Airlines gives its Boeing 767-200 fleet all the love -- first it sends some 10.1-inch Galaxy Tabs through the gate, and now in-flight streaming videos get the all-clear to board. If you'll recall, AA's been testing Aircell (Gogo) in-flight video streaming, and now the service has gone live on 15 of the transcontinental wide-bodies flying New York to San Francisco or Los Angeles. You won't need to purchase in-flight WiFi to access Entertainment On Demand, but it currently only works on "select laptops," with rentals for television shows priced at $0.99 and movies at $3.99. You'll also be able to access your purchased TV and movie content on your device for 72 or 24 hours, respectively, if your flight soars into its destination ahead of time -- pickins' are quite slim, though, with only around 100 vids to choose from presently. The airline plans to add the service to all of its WiFi-enabled aircraft -- while also expanding device support -- beginning later this year. Fly on for a demo video and press release, parked just past the break.
Gogo launches in-air multimedia platform, details international expansion plans
It's at least six months behind schedule at this point, but we guess late's better than even later. We'd known that Aircell Gogo (yeah, it's officially changed!) was aiming to get into the in-flight entertainment business, and today it's dishing the real dirt. It's hoping to "extend the company beyond internet connectivity," and apparently that means introducing an in-air multimedia platform. Per the company, it'll allow users to tap into "real-time travel information, destination content, news / information and exclusive shopping deals" right within their web browser, and it'll also give airlines the opportunity to offer passengers access to the latest movies and TV shows through Gogo's new streaming video product. We're guessing that last bit is what'll make legacy outfits think twice before shelling out for another round of Panasonic in-seat head units, particularly since there's no air-to-ground connectivity needed. Even today, average JPEGs are compressed when downloaded and uploaded through Gogo, making it just about impossible for folks who actually work with images to get anything finalized in the sky. Upon hearing of its initial plans, we wondered one thing: if Gogo can't handle uncompressed JPEGs, how the heck is your streaming video going to look with every other middle-seater trying to load the latest episode of Weeds? Thankfully, our fears were pushed aside after hearing that the IFE portion (read: the service that serves up multimedia) will be locally based on the plane, with an undisclosed protocol pushing material from the cockpit to your display. Executives confirmed that the goal is to serve an entire plane, but it sounds as if there will certainly be some limits in place at first -- though, unless the entire plane hops onboard with the new program on Day 1, it probably won't become an issue. Read on for more...
Boingo teams with Gogo for in-flight internet magic, leaves us wanting more
So, here's the good news: Boingo Wireless has teamed up with Aircell, a company that provides WiFi in the skies. Now, the bad news: it barely matters. At first blush, we assumed a Boingo / Gogo tie-up would allow monthly subscribers to the former to get gratis access to the latter; in fact, that's not at all the case. According to the release (shown in full after the break), in-flight access "is a premium service and is not included in monthly plans," and in fact, there's not even a discount given to Boingo subscribers. The point here? To make billing even easier, since you're logging in with your Boingo credentials. Gee, thanks.
Gogo plans to expand into in-flight movies, possibly gaming
There's not a lot of firm details just yet, but the CEO of Gogo's parent company, Aircell, has just confirmed that GoGo is planning to take a few steps beyond it's basic in-flight WiFi business this year. That will apparently start with a library of in-flight movies that customers will have access to "later this year," and could eventually expand to other in-flight content including "live gaming." No word on any content partners involved in any of those plans, but CEO Michael Small says that he believes content has the potential to be a" significant" revenue source for the company. Incidentally, this news coincided with GoGo's announcement of a $35 million boost from its latest round of funding and, as mocoNews reports, the company has apparently already hired "a number of executives from internet companies" to help it with its new content offerings.
Lufthansa launches in-flight WiFi on intercontinental flights, ushers in 'the future'
There's just no two ways about it: what Lufthansa has managed to accomplish here is nothing short of incredible. While avid jetsetters have been enjoying in-flight WiFi on (select) domestic routes for a few years now, the in-flight fun has been coming to an abrupt halt when boarding a flight requiring a passport. The dream of long-haul in-flight internet has felt like a distant one, but it seems that the future is indeed happening today. The carrier's FlyNet service has been relaunched this week, and with assistance from Panasonic and the 802.11n gods that be, it's now offering broadband internet access on intercontinental routes. At first, the service will be limited to select North Atlantic routes, but access should be available on "nearly the entire Lufthansa intercontinental network by the end of 2011." No specific performance figures are being released, but the company does call it "extremely fast" and quick enough to open large attachments "without delay." Better still, the airline will be enabling cellphone data access (GSM and GPRS) in the spring of next year, giving highfalutin' bigwigs the ability to send and receive the most expensive text messages of their life. Deutsche Telekom will be providing the actual internet service, with pricing set as such: €10.95 (or 3,500 miles) for one hour or €19.95 (or 7,000 miles) for a 24-hour pass that also allows patrons to access the web on "on all Lufthansa connecting flights equipped with a hotspot during the period of validity as well as after the flight in Lufthansa lounges." Oh, and did we mention that it's totally free through January 31st, 2011? It is. Update: We're seeing expected uplink rates of 1Mbps, with download rates reaching 5Mbps. Not bad for being over an ocean. %Gallery-109227%
Delta expands WiFi access to select regional jets
Good news, frequent (and not so frequent) fliers. In addition to offering free Goggle-sponsored WiFi on its long-range flights this holiday season, Delta has announced plans to expand Gogo internet access to many of its regional jets, beginning in January. The company says that it should have this next wave of upgrades done by the end of 2011. This will definitely come as a relief to those of us who will be enjoying hours-long "regional" flights in the new year, either on Delta planes or those of its regional partners (including Shuttle America, Comair, and Atlantic Southeast). The expansion will apply only to aircraft with a first class cabin -- you know, the spacious compartment you pass through before being herded into the back with the rest of us schlubs.
Passengers net free WiFi while flying Delta, AirTran or Virgin America this holiday season
It's certainly not the first free in-flight WiFi promotion that we've seen, but this one's hitting at just the right time. For goodhearted, family-minded individuals who plan on jumping ship and heading to greener pastures for the holidays, you'll be elated to know that Delta, AirTran and Virgin America are all offering gratis in-flight Wi-Fi for the holidays. And shockingly enough, there's no catch. Despite being sponsored by Google's Chrome browser, you won't actually need it to access the respective services. Oh, and for those curious, the deal is active from November 20th, 2010 to January 2nd, 2011. You know, right before every nerd in the universe flies into LAS for CES. Nice cutoff date, guys.
Alaska Airlines fires up in-flight WiFi between Anchorage and Fairbanks, promises more in 2011
It's hard to say if Alaska Airlines' relationship with Row44 has fizzled, but unlike that WiFi'd route between San Jose and Seattle, the aforesaid airline is relying on Aircell to provide in-flight WiFi on flights between Anchorage and Fairbanks. Reportedly, Gogo service is live today for customers flying between those two locales, with it being completely gratis until the remainder of Aircell's network in the state of Alaska goes live over the next few months. Best of all, Aircell has promised to "expand its network to include Southeast Alaska by the end of the year," ensuring that it's not The Last Frontier in absolutely every possible way.
