As the drone industry transitions from "visionary prototypes" to "commercial implementation," the demand for resilient, scalable connectivity has reached a critical inflection point. In a recent technical deep-dive, Matthew Hill, General Manager of Gotonomi, outlined how the company is moving beyond pre-production development kits to establish an industrial-grade manufacturing and certification pipeline designed to support routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations.

Preparing for the scale of Part 108

The shift in commercial demand is a direct response to maturing regulatory frameworks, such as the FAA’s Part 108, which are clarifying the path for large-scale drone operators. Gotonomi is meeting this demand by transitioning its manufacturing from rapid-iteration in-house prototyping to a specialized Contract Electronics Manufacturer (CEM) based in the UK.

To date, Gotonomi has produced 160 terminals in-house. This strategic move to external manufacturing ensures the capacity required for global fleet deployments while maintaining the rigorous standards required for aviation-grade hardware.

"We're seeing some increased commercial demand that is likely in response to some of the announcements there were over the summer like the FAA part 108… in response to that, we've been preparing for scale." — Matthew Hill

Regulatory confidence and a shifting industry mindset

One of the most revealing insights from the discussion was not technical, but economic. Matthew described a long-standing frustration among operators with the pace of regulation, driven by a simple reality: without the ability to generate revenue, the broader ecosystem cannot mature.

For several years, the progress of BVLOS drone operations felt perpetually delayed, always approaching, yet never arriving. What distinguishes this year is a change in confidence. Regulatory signals in the US, combined with parallel activity in other regions, are beginning to align with operator expectations.

In the Asia-Pacific region, regulators are actively coordinating on cross-border BVLOS drone frameworks, an essential step for operations that extend beyond national boundaries. This alignment proves the necessity for globally certifiable, satellite-based command-and-control architectures that are not reliant on local terrestrial infrastructure.

Global regulatory milestones and market entry

Gotonomi has achieved several high-stringency certifications over the past 12 months, removing the "integration friction" that often delays operator revenue.

  • The terminals have passed stringent qualification for the Viasat network, ensuring that hardware does not adversely affect satellite constellations while guaranteeing quality of service for the end-user.
  • Terminals are now shipping with CE marking and FCC grants.
  • While MIC (Giteki) approvals have been secured for the Japanese market through partner JSAT, Gotonomi is currently in the process of securing approvals for Canada (ISED), followed by a second tranche of key territories including Brazil, India, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

A distinct pathway for government and public-sector BVLOS drone operations

An important nuance emerging from the discussion is Gotonomi’s deliberate separation of commercial and government go-to-market strategies. For government-related autonomy and BVLOS drone deployments, Gotonomi partners with Viasat, which acts as the point of sale.

This approach aligns with public-sector procurement realities, where security requirements, certification processes, and contractual structures differ fundamentally from commercial operations.

Collaboration as a shortcut to revenue

Building a new aerial vehicle is far more complex than most non-aviation stakeholders realize. Airframe integration, power management, thermal constraints, network redundancy, software interoperability, and regulatory documentation all intersect. Gotonomi’s strategy is to absorb much of that complexity on behalf of operators.

As Matthew Hill put it: “Why should they have to go through the same process again and again?”

Behind the scenes, this translates into deep integration work with technology partners, avionics platforms, and software providers, often validated publicly so operators can deploy with confidence instead of reinventing solutions.

Hardware built for BVLOS drone operations’reality, not lab demos

One of the recurring mistakes in BVLOS drone programs is designing connectivity hardware for demonstrations rather than for operational aviation environments. Gotonomi has taken a different approach with its Velaris product family: every design decision is driven by flight constraints, certification realities, and integration friction experienced by real operators.

Instead of creating a single, monolithic terminal, Gotonomi developed a modular hardware ecosystem that scales from small uncrewed aircraft to heavier industrial platforms, without forcing airframe redesigns or custom avionics work.

The Velaris 200 is the most integrated option in the portfolio. It combines an IP67-rated terminal with an L-band antenna in a single unit measuring 145 mm by 83 mm and weighing 580 grams. This configuration is particularly suited to operators who want a robust, externally mounted solution that can withstand harsh environmental conditions while remaining simple to integrate and certify.

For platforms where space and weight margins are tighter, the Velaris Module takes a different approach. At just 95 mm by 95 mm by 15 mm and weighing 195 grams, it separates the satellite modem from the antenna, allowing integrators to optimise antenna placement without compromising avionics layout or centre-of-gravity constraints.

The most operationally flexible option is the Multilink Module, which integrates satellite and cellular (LTE) connectivity alongside onboard edge computing. Despite this added capability, it remains compact at 140 mm by 95 mm by 15 mm and weighs only 245 grams. This design reflects a clear understanding of BVLOS realities: satellite provides global reach and regulatory confidence, while LTE delivers higher bandwidth where terrestrial coverage is available.

Completing the architecture is the 200-A Omni antenna, a lightweight, omnidirectional antenna weighing 210 grams. Its form factor allows continuous connectivity without the need for complex pointing mechanisms, reducing both mechanical risk and integration time.

Taken together, this modularity allows operators to tailor their connectivity architecture to specific mission profiles, inspection, surveillance, logistics, or mapping, without redesigning the aircraft or re-certifying the entire system for each variation.

Global connectivity with operational flexibility

Hardware alone does not enable BVLOS drone operations. Connectivity must be predictable, certifiable, and commercially viable across borders. Gotonomi addresses this by operating as a value-added reseller of Viasat Velaris airtime services, which are specifically designed for commercial UAV operations rather than adapted from traditional satcom markets.

Through Viasat Velaris, operators gain access to global Class 4 coverage, enabling consistent command-and-control links across remote, rural, and cross-border environments. Importantly, this service model aligns with how operators actually scale fleets.

Instead of forcing one-size-fits-all contracts, Gotonomi offers monthly data plans ranging from 175 MB to 2,500 MB, with pricing starting at approximately $0.75 per MB. Fleet operators can further optimise costs through Shared Corporate Allowance Plans (SCAP), which pool data across multiple aircraft rather than tying limits to individual vehicles. For specialised missions, such as long-endurance inspections or high-frequency operations, custom data plans can be structured to match operational demand.

From a safety and certification perspective, the most critical capability sits in the Multilink terminal. It supports primary, failover, and fully redundant communication paths using satellite and LTE. In practice, this means command-and-control links remain intact even when terrestrial coverage drops out, a baseline requirement for safety-critical BVLOS drone approvals.

Proven in the field: AIR6 SYSTEMS BVLOS drone operations trials

These design principles are not theoretical. They have been validated in live operations, most notably through Gotonomi’s collaboration with AIR6 SYSTEMS, specialists in advanced BVLOS drone missions.

During power line inspection trials conducted across Europe, AIR6 SYSTEMS deployed an AIR8 Medium Lifter UAV equipped with the Velaris Multilink terminal and the 200-A Omni antenna. For payload data, the system integrated low-bandwidth video streaming software from Videosoft Global, running directly on the Multilink’s onboard compute.

The results highlight what operational maturity looks like in practice. Satellite-based command and control remained stable throughout the missions, while LTE provided higher data rates whenever coverage was available. Crucially, the system handled automatic LTE-to-satellite failover without interrupting telemetry or video streams. Video and C2 data were transmitted in parallel over the same satcom link, demonstrating that bandwidth-constrained environments do not automatically preclude rich situational awareness.

One metric stands out for operators planning real deployments: the system achieved satcom-connected, flight-ready status in under two minutes from power-up. That level of readiness directly affects daily sortie rates, crew workload, and ultimately the commercial viability of BVLOS drone operations.

The bigger picture: infrastructure enables autonomy

Gotonomi’s progress over the past year underscores a broader truth in aviation and AAM: BVLOS drone operations’ scalability is not limited by aircraft performance, but connectivity, certification, and integration maturity.

By focusing on approvals, manufacturing scale, and ecosystem collaboration, Gotonomi is positioning itself as an enabling layer for operators who want to move faster, safer, and with fewer unknowns.

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