AeroSat gets $14M for Internet on the plane
Ever since the advent of the cellphone, along with ubiquitous public WiFi and mobile email, airplanes have served as the last place busy execs can relax, switch off and drop out of communication. AeroSat would like to change that.
AeroSat is an Amherst, NH company that makes plane-mounted antennae that can deliver Internet and cell access to passengers. The antennae can communicate with ground-based stations, or with others mounted on (relatively) nearby aircraft.
The firm says it has already gotten contracts from several airlines, and installed the systems on over 30 types of aircraft.
The $14 million funding was provided to AeroSat by existing investors CAI Managers & Co. and AeroEquity, and new investor PAR Capital Management.
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About the Author, Chris Morrison
Chris Morrison writes about cleantech and environmental issues for VentureBeat, with occasional forays into gaming and semantic technology. He got his start writing about tech for Business 2.0 magazine, but quickly realized new media was the ticket when that institution closed its doors in 2007. Chris has also covered public equities and regulatory issues. He originally hails from southern Virginia, graduated from Evergreen State College in Washington, and now lives in San Francisco.