ViaSat-1

Designed to propel satellite into the mainstream of broadband access choices alongside DSL and cable by putting more, cheaper bits in space.

Technologies:
Ka-band

Transforming Satellite Broadband

The demand for broadband by satellite is indisputable, as is the demand for more bandwidth. Both times a new broadband satellite has launched, a spike in subscriber uptake followed. Then within months, capacity was sold out in key geographic areas, capping subscriber growth.
 

ViaSat-1 is aimed at meeting this obvious demand:

  • More – and cheaper – bits in space
  • Enable service on a par with DSL and cable
  • More capacity than all current North American satellites combined
  • Two million subscribers

  • 10 times the throughput of any other Ka-band satellite
  • In-orbit costs only a fraction of even the newest satellites in orbit
 

Bringing Subscribers What They Want
Current satellite systems aren’t designed for the high bandwidth applications that people want, such as video, photo sharing, VoIP, and peer-to-peer networking. The solution is to increase the capacity of the satellite and give customers more bandwidth at the same price.

Eclipsing All Current Capacity
The chart shows the baseline designed capacity of ViaSat-1.

Expressing the gains in terms of service levels, median DSL speed in the U.S. is 768 kbps and median cable speed is much faster, at about 4.5 Mbps. ViaSat-1 will let distributors price a basic service at 2 Mbps compared to 512 kbps now, raising satellite to about the 80th percentile of DSL. Premium plans would easily surpass the best DSL service, and put satellite well above the current median for cable.More capacity than all previous Ka-band satellites.

Expanding Our Role as a Technology Supplier
ViaSat is not becoming a satellite broadband service provider. We are expanding our role in the Ka-band satellite market, where we are already the leading technology supplier. Over the past few years we’ve assembled an exceptional team of technology providers that make this innovation possible:

  • US Monolithics: The leading Kaband satellite ODU supplier
  • ECC: DVB S2 SkyPhy chips
  • ICT: Web and application acceleration software
  • ViaSat Antenna Systems: Ka-band  teleports
  • Comsat Labs: Satellite payloads and system design

An Experienced Team of Ka-band Innovators
The venture joins us together with strategic partners with a record of innovation and success in this market:

  • Space Systems Loral
  • Telesat Canada
  • Eutelsat
 

To enable ISPs and satellite service providers to expand their network reach and compete more effectively, we offer this low cost bandwidth and ground system technology.

 


©2008 ViaSat, Inc.