Gogo has begun flight testing its next-generation 5G air-to-ground connectivity network for North American customers. Optimising a Pilatus PC-24 trials platform, the test team is flying on alternate days during the campaign to fully test the potential of the unrestricted Gogo 5G ATG broadband access. Gogo's engineering and software teams expect to complete the comprehensive test and validation program in 40 to 50 hours of flight time over several weeks.

The campaign is employing well-established trial techniques, beginning with simple procedures and culminating with fully loaded tests running multiple applications, including video calling, video streaming and internet browsing, on multiple devices simultaneously.

Chris Moore, CEO, Gogo, explains: “This is a true walk before you run-type methodical test plan. We've started out by establishing an end-to-end call in flight, and we're rapidly progressing to the critical inflight connectivity use cases that will validate readiness for 5G product launch, including simple validation, continuous connection, call setups, handovers, and application testing.

Flight tests are using Gogo towers in eastern Colorado and Nebraska, before moving on to connect with towers around Broomfield, Chicago, New York, Miami, and areas in between. On the ground, Gogo's engineers will monitor every flight while gathering data from across the 5G network and aircraft hardware platforms. The flight trials are anticipated to corroborate data gathered during months of ground testing and substantiate numerous performance models.

The test program has already validated the 5G chip's functionality on the ground, following delivery of the new 5G chipset to Airspan, a provider of network deployment solutions and Gogo's 5G partner, in May.

“Having the product perform in the air for the first time is a major accomplishment for Gogo and represents a significant advancement in bringing next-gen ATG broadband to our customers. Once in service, the Gogo 5G service will deliver never-before-seen ATG connectivity with speeds of up to 80Mbps for business and military aircraft of all sizes, allowing them to seamlessly surf the net, stream video calls, and satisfy the data demand from our customers now and into the future.”

As soon as flight testing is complete, Gogo will lock in the 5G Avance software and apply to the FAA for the final minor change approvals for the Gogo Avance LX5 and Gogo X3 products, which have already been approved with the earlier 4G chip.

With the approval granted, Gogo expects to achieve full service activation before the end of 2025, which will trigger client activation and revenue generation in Q1 of 2026. Some 400 aircraft are already pre-provisioned for the new 5G service, a figure that's risen from 300 in the past three months.