Gulfstream offers enhanced cabin connectivity for G450 and G550

Gulfstream Aerospace announces that it has approval from the FAA for installation of the next-generation Satcom Direct Router (SDR).

Mike West, vice president, Product Support Sales and New Business Development, Gulfstream said: “This equipment elevates the airborne office to a new level.”

“This equipment elevates the airborne office to a new level.”

“The addition of a smart router allows for more communications options in the cabin, including Satcom Direct’s GlobalVT, which allows passengers to use their personal smartphones to call and text in flight. Just as they would if they were on the ground, outgoing calls show the passengers’ personal phone number and incoming calls display the number of the person calling them. This voice and text functionality is seamless, secure and available at any altitude, virtually anywhere in the world,” added West.

The SDR offers 3G cellular connectivity worldwide with any service provider while on the ground and provides the latest technology in data compression and acceleration.

Installation of the SDR and accompanying software is standard on new G550 and G450 aircraft and available as a retrofit for in-service G550s and G450s.

The new equipment, which weighs less than 10 pounds, is designed to be installed inside the cabin or avionics bay. Gulfstream’s company-owned service centres have exclusive rights to perform the work. They are located in Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia; Westfield, Massachusetts; Appleton, Wisconsin; Las Vegas; Long Beach, California; Dallas; West Palm Beach, Florida; Luton, England; Sorocaba, Brazil; and Beijing.

Gulfstream is pursuing similar supplemental type certificates from the FAA to add this cabin communications enhancement to G650/G650ER, GV and GIV aircraft.