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The Next Phase in Airborne Connectivity
Gogo’s latest AVANCE systems quick to be adopted across business aircraft.
by Rich Pickett
What began as Aircell in 1991, Gogo has grown into a household name for airline passengers and business aircraft operators alike. Utilizing a network of cell towers, primarily in the continental United States, Alaska and parts of Canada, users can call, text, email, and browse the internet at 3G
and 4G speeds. Their most recent systems, AVANCE L3 and L5, build upon the company’s popular ATG product line which recently achieved 4,500 total installations.
Gogo AVANCE
One of Gogo’s goals in developing AVANCE was to offer an ef- ficient service upgrade process that could easily expand with user requirements and system capabilities. Both the L3 and L5 can be reconfigured to several different profiles to meet the needs and budgets of operators. If an operator wishes to change their service, they simply call Gogo and their system profile can be changed remotely through their communication link with the aircraft. Previously, an operator would have needed an avionics technician to accomplish the change on the hardware itself. The AVANCE systems can also proactively notify the Gogo support center of technical issues with their systems while airborne. In some cases, they can resolve problems before the aircraft even lands.
The two AVANCE systems, L3 and L5, differ in capabilities and cost. The L3 is likely more applicable to the T&T audience as it was designed specifically with light to mid-size jets and turbo- props in mind. It weighs approximately 18 pounds for the system and dual antennas. Offering the equivalent of 3G bandwidth, passengers and crew can obtain email, browse the web (useful for weather and planning updates), text and conduct voice calls. Users connect through the Gogo dual-band Wi-Fi router which is included with the system. Using this capability, you can con- nect your smartphone and utilize Wi-Fi testing and calling. This method allows you to use your own phone number, adding to the convenience to continue your conversation on the ground.
Data Plan Options
To accommodate varied communications needs, Gogo offers a broad selection of data plans. They start by defining the number of aircraft users of the L3 system. The “Core” plan supports five
devices, the “Plus” plan supports seven, and the “Max” plan supports up to 25. Each phone, tablet, and computer counts as one device. Whenever I use these systems personally, I remind my passen- gers only to connect the devices they need, otherwise, the system limit may quickly be reached. Of course, if you consistently need more devices to access the system, Gogo can remotely upgrade your access to the next tier.
For those L3 users who only need a maximum of five users under the Core plan, they can choose between an hourly rate of $99 (which provides light internet use, email, talk and text, and Gogo Vision Information services) or monthly and annual options. This is more expensive than the basic hourly plan of- fered by BendixKing for their global Inmarsat-based Aerowave system, however, there are some additional services with the L3. If and when stepping up to the Plus and Max plans, users do not have an hourly plan available and must select either pre-paid monthly and annual portions or pay as they use the system. The advantages of the higher-level plans are improved bandwidth and more devices. In talking with installation facilities, the L3 system typically costs $120,000-$130,000 installed.
For operators of aircraft larger than the turboprops and light- mid jets, the AVANCE L5 builds upon the capabilities of the L3 by offering 4G bandwidth for faster communication. In addi- tion to faster bandwidth, the L5 supports the control of various
Gogo's AVANCE L3 system.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF GOGO INC.