Delta is increasing its commitment to GoGo 2Ku in-flight Wi-Fi by at least 350 aircraft.
This brings Delta’s total 2Ku commitment to more than 600 aircraft in its mainline fleet.
Installation of 2Ku will offer passengers faster speeds and bandwidth allowing for video streaming functionality.
2Ku is next-generation technology that provides consistent, uninterrupted coverage nearly anywhere in the world, including over oceans. It uses two Ku-band satellite antennas – one receiver for the upward link to the aircraft, and the other for the downward, return link to the ground.
Gogo’s 2Ku technology is designed to be open so it’s compatible with multiple satellite networks, which means the technology will be upgradeable over time without having to touch the aircraft. This flexibility will help ensure Delta is future ready and ahead of the curve from a technology perspective.
This summer, Delta passengers will be able to use Wi-Fi and in-flight entertainment from taxi and takeoff through landing on 2Ku-enabled aircraft. In late 2016, Delta will launch IPTV, giving customers the ability to watch live TV from their own devices on 2Ku-enabled aircraft.
2Ku installation has already started on Delta’s Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A319 fleets, and additional fleets will be retrofitted with the new system. By the end of 2016, Delta will operate more than 35 aircraft with 2Ku.
Delta has completed installation of Ku-band satellite Wi-Fi on nearly all of its wide-body international fleet – including Boeing 747, 767, 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft as well as Boeing 757 aircraft operating on long-haul routes – and will be 100 percent complete by September 2016. 2Ku service will be offered on Airbus A330-900Neo and A350-900 aircraft when they enter Delta’s fleet in 2019 and 2017, respectively.
Delta now operates the world’s largest Wi-Fi-equipped fleet, with more than 1,000 Delta aircraft, including nearly all Delta Connection two-class regional jets and 99 percent of its long-haul international fleet equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi service.
N.B. Image credit: delta.com
