ViaSat delays order, launch of ViaSat 2 satellite broadband platform to 2016

ViaSat has dropped hints that its ViaSat-2 broadband satellite may have to wait until 2016 at the earliest for manufacture and launch. The new satellite had originally been scheduled for launch in 2014 to expand and enhance the Company's Exede satellite broadband service.

The Company's CEO, Mark Dankberg, implied the delay during the “Satellite Broadband Comes of Age: The Ka-Band Equation” panel at SATELLITE 2013. He mentioned that ViaSat was planning to order a new satellite, but he also refused to set an exact date of purchase and settled for a vague, hopeful “soon.” He added that ViaSat was being assisted by several satellite manufacturers in configuring the planned broadband satellite.

According to CEO Dankberg, ViaSat's new satellite will certainly be able to transform the satellite industry. Ironically, this high expectation ended up being one of the factors that delayed the placement of the order.

CEO Dankberg reported that ViaSat-1 broadband satellite enjoyed excellent sales. 50% of its new subscribers came from terrestrial broadband, a percentage that vastly exceeded earlier expectations of 20%. This achievement, however, meant that ViaSat's next satellite must surpass ViaSat-1 in order to secure the economic model that the Company sought out.

North American consumers have been migrating to ViaSat at a good clip. More than 285,000 subscribers have signed up for the company’s Exede residential broadband service during ViaSat-1's first year of operation. Half a million consumers currently subscribe to ViaSat satellite broadband services.

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U.S Government Refurbishes ViaSat Broadband Airborne Satcom Services Contract

Direct Broadcast Satellite company ViaSat will be providing broadband airborne satcom services to a customer from the U.S government, under a valued $52 million one year contract.

This renewal is for the services established back in 2009 which made use of ViaSat ArcLight technology over a managed private network to support military mission for the War on Terror. The systems of ViaSat mobile broadband are specifically created to provide media-rich ISR, C2, as well as other applications with high-speed, beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) communications. Typical operational data rates utilize Ku- and Ka-band satcom links and range from one to eight Mbps off over 300 government aircraft.

The same terminals can function on the Yonder global satellite network, giving the network a higher priority regional service overlays with a variety of performance and connectivity options.

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DirecTV announces pricing, discount for ViaSat satellite Internet bundles

DirecTV recently revealed the pricing for its Exede satellite broadband bundle provided by ViaSat. In addition, it decided to promote its new high-speed satellite Internet service by implementing a $10 monthly discount across the board.

According to DirecTV, the monthly price for the 12 Mbps Exede satellite broadband service will be $39.99 for 10GB of data, $69.99 for 15GB, and $119.99 for 25GB.

The $10 discount will apply for the first half of a two-year contract. Customers will must sign up for the Exede satellite Internet bundle before January 31, 2013.

As a further incentive, DirecTV will also refund the $49.99 installation fee.

Satellite broadband companies generally impose data caps on customers' satellite Internet bundles. To compensate for those data caps, DirectTV will allow Exede users to access the Internet between midnight and 5 A.M. Using the Internet during such off-hours will not count against their data cap. This is best used to deal with any streaming needs such as Windows updates.

US Govt picks ViaSat for broadband services

The US Government has awarded communications provider ViaSat a multimillion dollar contract to supply satellite broadband solutions to US military aircraft. According to the California-based company, the new agreement will see ViaSat providing an all-IP service plan that would enable “access to NIPR, SIPR, and commercial Internet, as well as voice-over-IP and video-teleconferencing sessions during transcontinental or transoceanic flights.” 

The company also stated that the broadband by satellite service will be using its intelligent, spread spectrum modem technology known as the ArcLight system. The Arclight resolves mobile communications problems by eliminating blocked signals, and working with other services in the same frequency band. 

ViaSat said that the contract is a one-year agreement with options to include other aircrafts to the satellite broadband service, as well as create supplemental services. Some of the military aircraft included in the service are C-130s, C-17s and MC12s.

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