Interoperability with legacy DoD modems will smooth transition to modem with lower airtime cost

Carlsbad, CA – ViaSat Inc. has been granted Full Certification for its MD-1366 Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem (EBEM) for operation over the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) Network by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). Certification means the ViaSat EBEM can be used on all DSCS satellite networks, is interoperable with legacy modems, and can operate in advanced spectrum efficient modes.

The objective of the EBEM program, a combined project of the Project Manager Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems (PM DCATS), DISA and the U.S. Navy, has been to create and implement a more efficient, high-speed modem to replace older legacy equipment. Interoperability is a key attribute during the time-phased transition to the advanced EBEM.

“Through this combined effort the MD-1366 will save U.S. forces significant dollars annually in leased bandwidth costs by increasing the capacity of each circuit,” said Ray Jefferson, EBEM program manager at ViaSat. “This certification signals that the MD-1366 meets the military's technical requirements and can be trusted for efficient, high-speed satellite communications.”

The ViaSat MD-1366 holds several key advantages over deployed legacy modems:

• Tighter carrier spacing on satellite transponders to increase throughput
• Information Throughput Adaptation (ITA) to convert power margin to higher data rates that far exceed legacy modems in normal weather conditions and provides automatic improvements in modulation and coding in the presences of adverse conditions.
• Embedded AES 256-based Transmission Security (TRANSEC) for overhead and control channel protection and bulk encryption of baseband traffic.
• Automatic error-free antenna handover when line-of-sight view to the satellite is blocked due to ship movement.

“The advanced modulation in EBEM enables users to squeeze more data into the same bandwidth and more traffic into each trunk, so the EBEM certification from DSCS is critical," said Johnny Ng, PM DCATS project leader. "The certification gives users confidence that the modem is interoperable with existing military satellite equipment and won't degrade the overall system performance.”

A test program administered by the U.S. Army Joint Satellite Communications Engineering Center (JSEC) demonstrated ViaSat EBEM interoperability with five different legacy DoD modems (OM-73, BEM-7650, SLM-3650, MD-1340 and MD-1030B) from four different equipment vendors. In addition, the tests confirmed the operation of the higher-order modulation schemes implemented in the ViaSat EBEM to further advance its bandwidth efficiency. The EBEM successfully operated using 8 Phase Shift Keying (8PSK) and 16 Asymmetrical Phase Shift Keying (16-ASPK), while still communicating with legacy terminals that use simple modulation schemes.

The ViaSat MD-1366 is the new FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) standard and next state-of-the-art modem to support communications, command, and control requirements of today’s highly mobile, joint U.S. forces using military and commercial satellites at C-, X-, Ku- and Ka-band frequencies. In addition, the MIL-STD-188-165 Working Group plans to incorporate the advanced features and capabilities of the MD-1366 EBEM into MIL-STD-188-165B that will supersede MIL-STD-188-165A.

Safe Harbor Statement
Portions of this release, particularly statements about the performance and deliveries of ViaSat products and technology, may contain forward-looking statements regarding future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. ViaSat wishes to caution you that there are some factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, including but not limited to: contractual problems, product defects, manufacturing issues or delays, regulatory issues, technologies not being developed according to anticipated schedules, or that do not perform according to expectations; and increased competition and other factors affecting the telecommunications industry generally. The Company refers you to the documents it files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the section titled Risk Factors in the Company's Form 10-K, which contain and identify other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements. Stockholders and other readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements.

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