SmartSky Shuts Down Connectivity Network

After spending years and hundreds of millions of dollars building an air-to-ground (ATG) airborne connectivity network to compete with industry pioneer Gogo, SmartSky Networks announced on August 16  that it “has ceased business operations effective August 16, 2024.” A company statement posted on its website blamed lack of additional financing for the shutdown.

The SmartSky service promised faster connectivity compared to Gogo’s original ATG network. SmartSky’s network went live at the end of 2021 and into early 2022. The service had been delayed for many years as SmartSky built a network of towers in the U.S., but installations in turboprops and business jets picked up as more supplemental type certificates were approved for SmartSky installations. 

Employing patented “beamforming” technology, SmartSky claimed that each airborne aircraft using the network would have its own beam and switch from beam to beam, maintaining high-speed bandwidth for that aircraft instead of having to share it with others. 

According to the SmartSky statement, “SmartSky was founded with a bold vision: to revolutionize aviation communications. We successfully built and operated a leading, high-performance nationwide air-to-ground network using unlicensed spectrum, made possible by innovative patented technology. Along the way, our team dedicated great energy and expertise, earning several prestigious industry awards. While our products were groundbreaking and we were growing our market share, we ultimately could not secure the necessary financing to continue our mission.

“We hope that SmartSky’s achievements have inspired others to dream big, push boundaries, and pursue transformative ideas to reshape the future.”