Avionics News April 2022 - 32

GOGO'S 5G AIR-TO-GROUND NETWORK
Continued from page 31
Spiders and snakes and bobcats, oh my
As you might expect, creating a new air-to-ground
5G network from the ground up is a monumental task.
Although it's extremely costly and time-consuming to
design, build and certify the on-aircraft components like
LRUs and antennas, building the network is even more
complex. More on the onboard components later.
The real challenge has been laying all the literal
groundwork for the terrestrial-based
5G network towers and the required
infrastructure at each site.
" It's been a monumental effort for
all of our engineers and site teams, "
explained Dave Glenn, senior vice
president of customer operations.
" We are updating many existing
locations and will be building a few
completely new towers. Step one
was accomplished in mid-2021.
We installed our first 5G antennas
and have been using that site for a
lot of end-to-end testing of the 5G
connection.
and hostile locations in North America. That's where
things can get interesting.
" It's one thing to build a network, it's entirely another
to maintain it and keep it operating at optimal levels,
especially in very harsh environments, " Glenn said.
" Our team has been doing that work for years, and it's
difficult. Now we're building a new 5G network, so that
adds to the demands placed on our network operations
team. "
GOGO 5G IS
EXPECTED
TO DELIVER
APPROXIMATELY
25 MBPS ON
AVERAGE WITH
PEAK SPEEDS IN
THE 75 TO 80
MBPS RANGE.
" Next, we will build the first
complete test bed. It is comprised of
seven new towers in the Great Lakes
region, and that work was done by the end of 2021. When
we launch our 5G network in the second half of 2022,
we're going to have 150 towers across the country. A few
of them will be new builds, but most will be co-located
with our current network sites. "
Glenn further explained that similar to adding new
antennas to an airplane, there's a lot more to upgrading
existing towers to 5G than just bolting on new R/T units.
In fact, each existing tower requires a considerable
amount of structural analytics, including the impact of
the new antenna's weight, and the impact of prevailing
winds caused by the antennas to ensure that the towers
can withhold the load placed on structures. There is a
significant amount of structural analysis that has to occur
at each location because each one is unique.
And it isn't only structural loads that challenged
Gogo's team and intrepid field engineers. While we're all
used to seeing the ubiquitous cell towers around town, for
Gogo to be able to provide truly nationwide coverage, its
towers are literally located in some of the most remote
32 avionics news * april 2022
Glenn said that when the field team visits their sites
for maintenance, they often encounter all kinds of
challenges ranging from steep hills to
deep snow and mud to rattlesnakes,
large black widow spiders, bobcats,
mountain lions and even bears. Mother
nature hasn't been too accommodating
of her new neighbors.
Once all of those hurdles are leaped,
there is still the challenge of running
untold miles of cable, installing
thousands of servers, hundreds of
generators, and so on. As Glenn said,
it has been and continues to be a
" monumental task. " But, in true Gogo
style, the team hasn't let any of the
obstacles keep it from its appointed
rounds.
" We're going hot and heavy with
around 26 tower completions a month
until the entire network is built-out by mid-2022, "
Glenn explained. " We have all the POs in place, and
I have to say that our team has done a fantastic job of
getting in front of any supply chain issues. We're all
really excited about our progress. "
5G from the ground up
Of course, you can't plan, install and test a
nationwide network of towers and 5G antennas if you
don't have the LRUs and antennas ready for the aircraft.
But that's where the designed-in flexibility of Gogo's
AVANCE platform stands out.
" On the airplane side, the transition is a lot easier
for us, " Glenn explained. " Our current AVANCE LRUs
are easily upgraded to the new 5G capabilities. If a
customer has AVANCE L5, then we just add a small
5G-equipped LRU and change the fuselage antennas.
" The design of that new antenna is complete, and it
has been qualified to DO-167 standards. We are now
going through the FAA certification process. Once
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