SmartSky Enters Final Phase of Next-Gen ATG Network
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Following Gogo’s announcement that it will launch a 5G ATG network in 2021, SmartSky is in the final stages of completing its ATG network, which incorporates a mix of 4G LTE and 5G technologies and is scheduled to be available in flight by the end of this year.
SmartSky Networks announced yesterday that it has initiated the final phase of its next-generation air-to-ground (ATG) network for in-flight connectivity across the continental United States, which is scheduled to launch later this year. JetSuiteX said at APEX TECH in January that it will begin rolling out the service in the fourth quarter of this year.
The company said its current network already incorporates many 5G components including software defined radios, network function virtualization, network slicing, beamforming, primary internet gateway relocation and low latency architecture. SmartSky also said that its network’s future-ready design can incorporate advancements in ATG technology as they become available.
“The 5G technology already demonstrated in our network is a clear competitive edge in the market,” said Haynes Griffin, CEO of SmartSky. “Now that we’re in the final stages of deployment, all the hard work and years of effort are about to pay off as customers will be able to use the network in a matter of months.”
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This news follows Gogo’s announcement from earlier this week that it will launch a 5G ATG network in 2021, which will offer coverage across North America.
SmartSky’s patented single-beam-per-aircraft network architecture dedicates a secure signal to each aircraft thereby eliminating the noise and congestion often experiences by other networks. The company has received the critical threshold regulatory certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Communications Commission.