Satellite communications in business aviation have changed more in the past five years than in the previous twenty. The systems available today bear little resemblance to what was considered capable a decade ago, and the range of equipment currently flying spans everything from cutting-edge low-earth-orbit broadband to hardware that hasn’t connected to a live network since 2008.
This post maps the landscape from one end to the other: systems that are fully decommissioned, systems that still function but in a limited way, and the current generation of technology that delivers the kind of connected experience most operators and passengers expect today.
Before getting into the systems themselves, it helps to understand three foundational concepts that explain why different systems perform so differently: frequency bands, orbital altitude, and antenna design.
The Basics: Bands, Orbits, and Antennas
Two factors determine the quality of a satellite internet connection from the user’s perspective: data rate and latency.
Data rate is how much data can be moved over time and is usually measured in megabits per second (Mbps) — how quickly a file downloads, a page loads, or a video stream buffers. A high data rate means large files transfer quickly and streaming video plays without interruption. This is the number most people think of when they think about internet speed.
While faster is generally better, it might surprise most people to learn that above about 25-30 Mbps, most users generally can’t tell the difference in speed for typical workloads. At these speeds — latency become more noticeable and what frustrates users the most. Unless you are downloading huge data files or streaming multiple HD videos, you generally won’t see much improvement typical productivity work.
Latency is the time it takes for a signal to make the round trip between your device and the network and is usually measured in milliseconds — the responsiveness of the connection. A high data rate with high latency can still download a movie without issue, but an interactive video call or conference becomes frustrating because every exchange carries a noticeable delay and participants stutter and talk over each other because it can take a half a second or more for the signal to reach the user. Latency also shows up in how long it takes a website to react to your input.
Understanding what drives each of these — and why some systems excel at one but not the other — is what the rest of this section is about.
Frequency Bands
The frequency band a system operates on is the primary factor that determines how much data it can carry. As a general rule: the higher the band, the more data it can carry, and the more engineering required to deliver it reliably. The three bands you’ll encounter in business aviation are:
L-band (roughly 1–2 GHz) is the lowest frequency and the most resilient — it handles weather well and maintains a reliable signal at lower power levels, but it has a very low data rate. L-band is suited for reliable voice and basic data, which is why it is still the gold standard for cockpit and safety services. It is not suited for the internet experience passengers expect today.
S-Band (roughly 2–4 GHz) is the same frequency range that many cell phone towers and home Wi-Fi systems utilize. In the United States there is an unlicensed frequency band (2.4–2.483 GHz) that is where modern Air-to-Ground networks operate. The European Aviation Network has also launched an S-Band network with hybrid ground and satellite links, although it has gained traction primarily with short-haul airlines in Europe.
Ku-band (roughly 12–18 GHz) carries significantly more data than L-band and has been widely used in commercial airline connectivity. In business aviation, Intelsat’s FlexExec network can deliver published speeds of 25 Mbps down with hardware capable of up to 100 Mbps.
Ka-band (roughly 26–40 GHz) is the highest of the three bands and the foundation of modern high-speed business aviation broadband. Inmarsat Global Xpress, Viasat Jet ConneX, and Starlink all use Ka-band. The speeds are in the tens to hundreds of megabits per second — rivaling the data rates of many current home and office connections.
Orbital Altitude: GEO vs. LEO vs. Air-to-Ground
Where a satellite orbits determines two things that matter enormously for the user experience: coverage and latency.
Geostationary satellites (GEO) orbit approximately 22,000 miles above the Earth’s equator. At that altitude, a satellite moves at exactly the same speed as the Earth’s rotation, which means it appears stationary from the ground — a ground station or aircraft antenna can point at a fixed point in the sky. You only need a few GEO satellites to cover the entire planet. The Inmarsat Global Xpress network, for example, achieves near-global coverage with four satellites.
The problems with geostationary satellites are distance and coverage. A signal traveling from an aircraft to a GEO satellite and back covers roughly 44,000 miles round trip. Even at the speed of light, that takes time — typically 550 to 600 milliseconds. That’s more than half a second of delay on every exchange between your device and the internet, which may not be noticeable when loading a web page or watching a video, but very noticeable on a video call or any application that depends on real-time interaction.
GEO satellites positioned over the equator cannot see the polar regions. Operators on high-latitude routes (above approximately 75 degrees latitude) are outside the coverage footprint of GEO networks.
Low-earth-orbit satellites (LEO) orbit between roughly 300 and 1,200 miles above the Earth. At that altitude, they move quickly relative to the surface — completing an orbit in roughly 90 minutes. Because they don’t stay over a fixed point, LEO systems require large constellations — hundreds or even thousands of satellites working together to maintain continuous coverage.
At LEO distances, round-trip signal time drops to 20–40 milliseconds — comparable to a good broadband connection on the ground. That’s the difference that makes video calls and real-time collaboration actually usable in flight. It’s also why LEO combined with Ku- and Ka- bands has become the benchmark for modern business aviation connectivity.
Air-to-Ground (ATG) systems use a network of ground-based radio towers to communicate directly with the aircraft rather than routing signals through a satellite. Because the signal never travels more than a few hundred miles to reach a tower, ATG delivers the lowest latency of any connectivity option — well under 100 milliseconds. The tradeoff is coverage: ATG works only within range of the tower network, which means no connectivity over water or outside the continental United States and Canada.
Antenna Design: Mechanically Steered Dishes vs. Phased Arrays
The antenna on the outside of the aircraft has one job: maintain a stable, high-quality signal link to the satellite while the aircraft is moving at 500 miles per hour through the atmosphere. There are two fundamentally different ways to accomplish this.
Mechanically steered antennas use a physical dish or directional antenna that physically rotates and tilts to track the satellite as the aircraft maneuvers. Mechanical antennas have been the standard in aviation for decades and are well-proven. The limitations are physical: moving parts wear over time and require maintenance, the antenna typically has a taller profile on the aircraft which limits installation to larger aircraft. Tracking is limited by how fast the mechanical system can reposition. On GEO systems, where the satellite is stationary, this isn’t a problem, but on LEO networks, where the satellite is moving rapidly across the sky, a mechanically steered antenna would struggle to keep up.
Electronically steered antennas — also called phased arrays — are flat panels with no moving parts. Instead of physically pointing at the satellite, they use an array of small antenna elements and shift the phase of the signal across those elements electronically to steer the beam without any mechanical movement. The result is a low-profile, aerodynamically clean antenna that can shift its beam in milliseconds — fast enough to seamlessly hand off between LEO satellites as they pass overhead. Both Starlink and Gogo Galileo use phased array antennas, and the technology is a significant reason those systems work as well as they do in a moving aircraft. The lower profile also reduces aerodynamic drag and simplifies installation on a wider range of airframes.
With those fundamentals in place, the performance differences between the systems below become considerably easier to understand.
Systems That Are Completely Obsolete
If any of the following appear on an aircraft’s avionics inventory, they are not connectivity solutions. They are hardware that occupies space, adds weight, and carries no operational value. Plan to remove and replace before or immediately after acquisition.
| Hardware | Band | Network | Network Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| MagnaStar C-2000 | UHF ATG | Verizon Airfone | ❌ Dead — Dec 2013 |
| Honeywell MCS-3000/6000 | L-Band GEO | Inmarsat Aero-H/I/M, Swift64 | ❌ Dead — Dec 2020 |
| Gogo ATG-4000/5000 | UHF/S-Band ATG | Gogo ATG | ❌ Dead — Nov 2026 |
MagnaStar C-2000. This was the dominant cabin telephone system on corporate jets through the 1990s and into the early 2000s. It connected to the Verizon Airfone air-to-ground network, which was terminated for MagnaStar users on December 31, 2008. The full Airfone network shut down permanently on December 31, 2013. A MagnaStar unit installed on an aircraft today is a paperweight with an STC. It has not been a connectivity system for over fifteen years.
Inmarsat Aero-H, Aero-I, Aero-M, Swift64. Older narrowband satellite data services that ran on Inmarsat’s L-band geostationary network. Swift64 was officially discontinued on December 31, 2020. Equipment configured exclusively for these networks — often found on older Honeywell MCS-3000/6000 satellite communication units — has no data network to connect to, although there is an upgrade available for the MCS-7000 to utilize SwiftBroadband.
Gogo ATG-4000/5000. While still capable of data rates between 1.5 and 3 Mbps, this U.S. domestic only network is being replaced by Gogo’s 4G/5G AVANCE Air-to-Ground network. The network was slated for decommissioning in December of 2025, however it has since been pushed back to November 2026, leaving only months left to upgrade or lose connectivity.
Any of these appearing on an aircraft equipment list should be treated as having no connectivity value. Two of the three networks are already gone. The Gogo ATG-4000/5000 network has months remaining — not enough runway to justify keeping a system that will be offline before most upgrade projects complete. Plan accordingly.
Functional, But Limited Cabin Usability
The next tier includes systems that are technically still operational — the underlying networks are alive — but that deliver speeds so limited that “connectivity” is a generous word for what they provide. These systems can support voice calls and basic text messaging. These have mostly been relegated to cockpit and safety services. For anything resembling internet use in the cabin, they are no longer practical. Cockpit services are a topic for a separate discussion and will be covered in a future post, but for cabin use specifically, the narrowband data speeds of legacy networks — measured in dial-up speeds — are not capable of supporting email or web browsing in any meaningful sense.
Operators flying with any of these systems are getting cockpit and voice services on the most reliable networks in existence. But the gap between what these systems deliver and what passengers expect today is significant, and it’s worth being clear that they serve a specific and critical role in the airplane.
Iridium Narrowband Systems
| Hardware | Status |
|---|---|
| Aircell Axxess / Axxess II | ⚠️ Hardware EOL |
| Collins Aerospace IRT NX SATCOM | ✅ Active |
| Collins ICS-300 | ✅ Active |
| Collins IRT-2110/2020 series | ✅ Active |
| Honeywell Aspire Series | ✅ Active |
| Garmin GSR 56 | ✅ Active |
| AirText | ✅ Active |
Iridium uses low-earth-orbit satellites and covers the entire globe, including polar regions, which gives it a coverage advantage over Inmarsat’s L-band GEO network on high-latitude and polar routes. The Iridium network is very much active and supports many cockpit voice, text messaging, CPDLC, and FANS-1/A and other datalink services. In fact, a significant portion of the business aviation market already has Iridium connectivity integrated at the flight deck level, independent of whatever cabin SATCOM hardware is installed separately.
SwiftBroadband Systems
| Hardware | Max Speed | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Honeywell HD710 | 432 Kbps | ✅ Active |
| Honeywell AeroWave | 432 Kbps | ✅ Active |
| Collins SAT-2200 | 432 Kbps | ✅ Active |
| Cobham Aviator 300 | 432 Kbps | ✅ Active |
Inmarsat SwiftBroadband operates on geostationary L-band satellites and has been the world’s leading L-band business aviation service since 2009. The network delivers speeds up to 432 Kbps — sufficient for voice, messaging, email, and basic web browsing, though not for the video streaming experience passengers expect today. SwiftBroadband’s smaller antenna form factor makes it practical for smaller and older aircraft where larger Ka- or Ku-band hardware would be difficult to install, and it can also serve as a complementary link on larger aircraft already equipped with a higher-bandwidth system. SwiftBroadband is also the network backbone for SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S), a next-generation cockpit safety service being phased in as the successor to Classic Aero. Viasat, which acquired Inmarsat in 2023, has announced SwiftJet — a new L-band service delivering up to 2.6 Mbps — as a seamless upgrade path for existing SwiftBroadband customers.
The Current Generation: Connectivity That Actually Works
This is where the meaningful choices live. The systems in this category support real-time internet use — email, web browsing, video calls, and live streaming and broadcast television.
Domestic-First: Gogo AVANCE Air-to-Ground
| System | Technology | Avg Speed | Streaming | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVANCE L3 | 4G ATG | ~0.5 Mbps | No | CONUS + Canada |
| AVANCE L5 | 4G ATG | ~5 Mbps | Yes | CONUS + Canada |
| AVANCE LX5 | 5G ATG | ~30 Mbps | Yes | CONUS + Canada |
For aircraft that primarily operate in the continental United States, Gogo’s AVANCE air-to-ground (ATG) platform remains a practical and well-proven option. ATG works by transmitting between the aircraft and a network of ground-based towers rather than satellites. It works well within the U.S. and parts of Canada, but has no coverage offshore or internationally — so the right question before choosing ATG is always: where does this aircraft actually fly?
Within the U.S. footprint, the current Gogo AVANCE L5 & LX5 platforms are capable of between 10 Mbps (4G antenna) and 30 Mbps (5G antenna) on average. The AVANCE L3 is a lower-speed , entry-level system, suited for turboprops and light jets where the primary need is email, voice, and light internet use — not video. The AVANCE L5 and the next-generation AVANCE LX5 — which runs on Gogo’s 5G ATG network — both support full streaming capability and are the appropriate choice for operators who want a complete connected cabin experience within the U.S.
All AVANCE systems include Gogo Vision, an onboard media server that stores movies, TV shows, and a 3D moving map locally on the aircraft. Passengers access Vision content without consuming any connectivity data at all — the entertainment runs off the aircraft’s own hardware, not the satellite link. On the L5, LX5, and the Galileo-equipped SCS (discussed below), live streaming and DIRECTV are also available over the broadband connection.
That media server integration is worth understanding in context. It means a Gogo-equipped aircraft is offering a cabin entertainment experience that is built into the connectivity platform — not bolted on separately.
Ku-Band Systems
| System | Network | Max Speed | Latency | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SD Plane Simple Ku | Intelsat FlexExec | 25 Mbps (100 Mbps capable) | ~550 ms | Global (no polar) |
Ku-band GEO satellite connectivity offers global coverage and is well-suited for large-cabin aircraft where a tail-mount steerable-dish installation is practical. Satcom Direct’s Plane Simple Ku-band terminal (now part of the Gogo portfolio following the December 2024 acquisition) delivers published speeds of 25 Mbps with hardware capable of up to 100 Mbps.
Like all GEO satellite systems, Ku-band carries approximately 550 milliseconds of latency — enough to be noticeable on real-time applications but manageable for most cabin internet use cases.
Ka-Band Systems
| System | Network | Max Speed | Latency | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honeywell JetWave X | Inmarsat Global Xpress / Viasat | ~200 Mbps | ~550 ms | Global (no polar) |
| SD Plane Simple Ka | Viasat Jet ConneX | ~80 Mbps | ~550 ms | US / N. Atlantic / Europe |
For operators who fly internationally and want a high-speed solution, Ka-band broadband remains a relevant option. Similar to Ku-Band, these systems require a mechanically-steered dish to track geostationary satellites — requiring a tail-mounted radome, which limits them to installations on larger cabin aircraft.
Honeywell’s JetWave X hardware operating on the Viasat Jet ConneX network (formerly Inmarsat) delivers speeds of roughly 20 Mbps and covers the globe except for polar regions above roughly 75 degrees latitude. It’s a proven platform with a wide STC footprint and an established support network.
Alternatively the Viasat Ka-Band system offers higher speed connectivity — roughly up to 80 Mbps — but with a more limited geographic footprint covering the U.S., North Atlantic routes, and Europe. Although, Viasat’s acquisition of Inmarsat and new satellites coming online promise to rapidly expand to a fully global footprint.
These Ka-Band systems also utilize GEO satellite networks — the physics of transmitting to a satellite 22,000 miles up and back mean there’s a noticeable delay — but for most cabin uses, the performance is adequate. The latency becomes more apparent in real-time applications, like video calls, where a fraction of a second matters.
The New Standard: LEO Broadband
| System | Network | Max Speed | Latency | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starlink Aero Terminal | SpaceX Starlink | 135–310 Mbps | <30 ms | Global / Polar |
| Galileo HDX | Eutelsat OneWeb | 60 Mbps | 20–40 ms | Global / Polar |
| Galileo FDX | Eutelsat OneWeb | 195 Mbps | 20–40 ms | Global / Polar |
| AVANCE SCS | Eutelsat OneWeb | 60 Mbps | 20–40 ms | Global / Polar |
Low-earth-orbit satellite systems are now the benchmark against which everything else in business aviation connectivity is measured. By orbiting at a few hundred miles rather than 22,000, LEO satellites cut latency to under 30 milliseconds and deliver speeds that simply weren’t achievable via satellite even five years ago.
Starlink Aviation, from SpaceX, typically delivers between 135 and 310 megabits per second download with latency that approaches what you’d expect from a good hotel Wi-Fi connection. NetJets has committed to fleet-wide Starlink installation across roughly 600 aircraft, which is as meaningful a vote of confidence as the business aviation market can offer.
Starlink delivers fast internet through an independent router. It does not integrate with cabin management systems, entertainment systems, or moving map displays. What you get is a high-speed connection — and whatever cabin experience you build around it is up to you and whatever other systems are installed.
Gogo Galileo uses the Eutelsat OneWeb LEO constellation and comes in three configurations within the AVANCE ecosystem: the HDX for smaller aircraft (up to 60 megabits per second), the FDX for large-cabin and super-midsize aircraft (up to 195 megabits per second), and the AVANCE SCS — the smallest-footprint Galileo option, designed for operators flying primarily outside North America who don’t need ATG coverage at all. All three provide global coverage including polar routes.
The largest distinction between Galileo and Starlink is integration. Galileo connects into the AVANCE platform, which means you get the Gogo Vision media server, the moving map, DIRECTV, and the full AVANCE ecosystem alongside your LEO broadband internet connection. Operators who already have AVANCE ATG equipment can upgrade to Galileo by adding a single antenna, without replacing the core system.
STC availability matters for both LEO systems. The certification footprint is growing quickly but is not universal. Before making a decision, confirm that an approved installation exists for your specific aircraft type.
If You’re Already Flying and Want to Upgrade
This is where a lot of current owners find themselves: they know their connectivity isn’t what it should be, they’ve heard terms like LEO, Galileo, Starlink, Ka-band, and STC thrown around, and they’re not sure where to start making sense of it.
The jargon is genuinely confusing, and the vendor landscape has shifted enough in the past few years that even people who were paying attention have had to reorient. Inmarsat is now Viasat. Satcom Direct is now Gogo. Products that were marketed under one name are now sold under another. It’s reasonable to feel like you need a scorecard.
Here’s a simpler way to think about it.
Start with what you have, then think about where you operate.
If you’re not sure what system is currently installed on your aircraft, ask your operator, maintenance provider or avionics shop to pull the connectivity equipment list and tell you what network it connects to. This information will determine if you can upgrade your existing equipment easily or if a full overhaul of the communications system may be needed to substantially move the needle.
If you operate primarily within the continental U.S. and have no regular international routes, Gogo’s AVANCE air-to-ground platform might be a good fit.
If you fly internationally, across oceans, or on polar routes, you need satellite coverage and the decisions get more complicated.
Then think about what you and your passengers actually need. There’s a big difference between “my passengers want to check email and take a call” and “my passengers expect to stream video and attend video conferences on a 5+ hour flight.” The first is achievable at a lower cost and with a wider range of hardware options. The second points you toward the higher-bandwidth platforms. If your passengers include charter clients, connectivity is not a detail — it’s part of the expected package.
Don’t overlook cockpit connectivity services. If your aircraft is already equipped with an Iridium or SwiftBroadband system, there is a good chance that it is being used for cockpit datalink services like FANS-1/A and CPDLC and you’ll want to keep it in place.
Don’t pull out perfectly good equipment for no real gain. If you already have a functioning Ku-Band or Ka-Band system, then it’s probably best to keep it in place. Viasat is continuing to make investments in their network and speeds are expected to increase. The only reason to make a change is if you need the low latency advantages of Starlink or Gogo Galileo’s low earth orbit network for video conferencing or latency sensitive applications.
If you already have a Gogo AVANCE system installed, your upgrade path is simple. All current AVANCE platforms — L3, L5, and LX5 — are designed to add Galileo LEO coverage through a single additional antenna. You’re not replacing your system; you’re extending it. The core hardware, the Gogo Vision media server, and your existing service infrastructure stay in place. You gain global satellite coverage on top of your existing domestic ATG capability.
If you are starting with a clean slate – no cabin connectivity at all — then Starlink or Gogo AVANCE LX5/Galileo should be the only two systems to consider. They will give you the best of both data rate and latency unlocking streaming services and — in the case of Gogo AVANCE — media server and moving map integration.
The upgrade conversation doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to be grounded in the specifics of your aircraft and your operation. Generic advice on which system is “best” isn’t useful because the right answer genuinely varies. What is universal is that the current generation of connectivity technology represents a significant step forward from what most business jets are flying with today, and the owners who have made the upgrade consistently report that it changes how the aircraft is used — by passengers, by crew, and for productivity in flight.
Questions about what makes sense for your aircraft? Get in touch.