SmartSky Networks today ceased business operations, the company has confirmed via email and on its web site.
The Morrisville, North Carolina-based air-to-ground (ATG) inflight connectivity provider in a statement says it “ultimately could not secure the necessary financing to continue” its mission.
Its full statement reads: “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. Any inquiries should be directed to the following address: smartsky@vlpc.com”
SmartSky came on the IFC scene roughly a decade ago with a plan to offer nextgen ATG-powered IFC in business aviation.
In September 2016, it publicly confirmed its strategy to use the 2.4 GHz unlicensed spectrum band.
Though it originally planned to offer service across CONUS by mid-2017, its nationwide network went live in summer 2022.
The company has waged a protracted lawsuit against Gogo, the dominant provider of IFC in the US business aviation market, and claims it’s owed “significant” damages from Gogo for alleged patent infringement. A trial is scheduled for April 2025.
