Passengers use Wi-Fi while airborne on the SmartSky network. Photo: SmartSky.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the first Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for SmartSky Networks’ airborne 4G LTE network, awarding it to SmartSky’s manufacturing partner Avidyne Corporation for installation on the Cessna Citation Excel. Avidyne CEO Dan Schwinn said he expects to receive parts manufacturer approval soon and that more STCs for other aircraft should follow, which could happen later this year.

SmartSky aims to position its 4G network as a rival to satellite connectivity solutions in terms of speed, but far more cost efficient, functioning similarly to a ground-based wireless network but in the air. The company claims it can set a new performance standard at the industry’s lowest cost per bit.

As of now, the network is still being completed. It has been live since 2017, and SmartSky said that 96 percent of planned ground sites have been tested and permitted, but fewer than half are currently deployed or in the final stages of deployment to provide full coverage around the United States. SmartSky expects the “majority of the network coverage expansion effort currently underway across the continental United States” to be completed later this year.