Air-to-ground connectivity provider SmartSky Networks pulls the plug
Air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity provider SmartSky Networks has ceased trading, the company has confirmed via a statement on its website, citing a lack of financing as an insurmountable hurdle.
Headquartered in North Carolina, SmartSky completed its ATG network across the US in 2022, offering two systems: ‘Lite’ for single-engine turboprops and small aircraft, and ‘Flagship’ for business jets. Using 5G innovation, SmartSky was the only provider to employ a patented ‘beamforming’ technology to “assign a separate connection to the network for each aircraft, along with dedicated bandwidth for that connection, which provides unsurpassed performance and privacy,” the company previously explained.
The SmartSky network utilized 60MHz of spectrum in the unlicensed band, which the provider claimed eliminated bandwith contention between aircraft or multiple users aboard. “We successfully built and operated a leading, high-performance nationwide air-to-ground network using unlicensed spectrum,” stated SmartSky in its closing statement; noting that while its products were “groundbreaking and [it was] growing [its] market share,” it ultimately could not secure the necessary financing to continue.
Only a week ago, the SmartSkyLITE system received FAA certification for Cessna Citation 52B models; something the company described as a “huge milestone and a game-changer for business aviation”. It was one of many supplemental type certificates that allowed SmartSky to continue its reach into the business aviation world, claiming faster connectivity than US rival Gogo’s cellular radio air-to-ground network. “We hope that SmartSky’s achievements have inspired others to dream big, push boundaries, and pursue transformative ideas to reshape the future,” concluded the company.
