Know Your Networks for Broadband and Voice.

On the ground, most networks are very similar and easily comparable in terms of speed, cost, performance and coverage. In the air, they vary widely. In business aviation, the core network services drive the majority of capabilities you ultimately get in the cabin, so you’ll help yourself greatly by having a basic understanding of each network service – what it does, what it doesn’t do, and how it works. 99% of all the systems installed in business aircraft today operate on one of just three network services – Iridium Satellite, Inmarsat SwiftBroadband and Gogo Biz™. Aircell is the only company in the industry to offer all three, and here’s an overview of each:

SwiftBroadband service (powered by the Immarsat I-4 Satellite Network) – Immarsat is a London-based satellite operator serving the aeronautical, maritime and land mobile industries. A relatively new service, SwiftBroadband operates on three geostationary (Inmarsat I-4) satellites in orbit 22,000 miles above the earth, and provides global coverage. Peak connection speed on the Immarsat SwiftBroadband network is 432 kbps. So while it's not like broadband on the ground, it's very usable. Watch SwiftBroadband: How It Works

Gogo Biz^® service (powered by the Gogo Network) – Operating over an exclusive, proprietary air-to-ground spectrum, this technology utilizes a network of wireless towers in the U.S. It uses a modified version of the same 3G mobile technology employed by Sprint, Verizon and others to provide nationwide mobile coverage. We are the only company that manufactures this equipment, which is in service aboard major commercial airlines and hundreds of business aircraft flying today. Voice quality and Internet speeds in flight that rival those on the ground. Watch Gogo Biz: How It Works

Iridium service (powered by the Iridium Satellite Network) – The proven Iridium satellite network is the world standard for Satcom voice service in flight. This network uses a constellation of 66 low-earth orbit satellites, providing reliable global coverage even near the Poles. Peak data speeds on an Iridium network are 2.4 kbps, making it slower than dial-up but adequate for light data transmission – and more than adequate for voice communications. Watch Iridium: How It Works