Keeping bus passengers connected and productive with Satélite Norte
06-11-2025
5-Minute read
Satélite Norte deployed Viasat’s Digital Bus to provide passengers with Wi-Fi access throughout their journey
Watch Viasat Digital Bus in action with Satélite Norte
The challenge: keeping passengers connected on long bus journeys
Bus travel plays a vital role in the Brazilian transport mix. In a country of continental dimensions where flight options are limited in many regions, buses help people travel for work, keep in contact with family and friends, and enjoy the vast beauty and excitement of this amazing country. There are many inter-city and inter-regional routes, and bus journeys of over 3 hours are a part of everyday life.
Bus companies such as Satélite Norte have found many ways to make those long journeys as comfortable as possible, with sleeper seats, snack services, blankets, and pillows. But keeping people connected, productive, and entertained over long journeys has historically been a struggle.
Routes traverse the country, going in and out of areas with very little cellular coverage and areas where there’s a lot of congestion on cellular networks. That makes it difficult to sustain a Wi-Fi connection – and therefore limits passengers’ ability to work, entertain themselves, and stay connected during the journey.
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The solution: blending satellite and cellular connectivity sources in a managed solution
Satélite Norte partnered with Viasat to deploy Viasat Digital Bus a managed connectivity solution for bus operators. The solution blends high-performance satellite and cellular connectivity, advanced real-time operational and passenger analytics, and a customizable passenger portal.
Viasat analyzed network coverage on Satélite Norte’s routes and developed a custom mix of connectivity sources that matched their requirements for routes between Goiânia and São Paulo, more than 1,600 miles away.
Working closely with Satélite Norte, Viasat retrofitted the necessary connectivity hardware into new buses – including a broadband satellite antenna and a hybrid cellular router. Finally, Viasat customized the Digital Bus passenger portal according to Satélite Norte’s need, providing passengers with easy and intuitive access to Wi-Fi.
It's fantastic to be able to provide another differentiator for our passengers, who already have all the comfort that Satélite Norte brings and now can stay connected throughout the journey.
Lidiane Silva, Marketing - Satélite Norte
The future: helping Satélite Norte drive new revenue streams and operational efficiency
During the testing phase, the Digital Bus solution achieved 98.2% uptime, even as the bus travelled through areas without cellular coverage, such as forests, mountains and valleys. As a result the vast majority of passengers were satisfied with the service (97%). With the confidence granted by these excellent results, Satélite Norte has rolled out the solution on its premium buses on the Goiânia-São Paulo route – a journey of 1,000 kilometers, taking roughly 15 hours. This doesn't just help keep passengers entertained, connected, and productive – it also gives Satélite Norte another meaningful point of differentiation in the competitive Brazilian travel market.
And it’s just the beginning of the journey when it comes to tapping into the full potential of connectivity. With the passenger portal in place, Satélite Norte can seek to drive new revenue streams with personalized location-based on-portal advertising.
With access to their own connectivity platform, Satélite Norte can continuously monitor and optimize network performance according to its evolving needs. It could even connect other systems to the platform, helping boost operational efficiency with telematics and enhanced fleet management.
Across the Americas - and indeed the world - people rely on buses to visit friends and family, to make important work trips, and to experience new places. Viasat and Satélite Norte are demonstrating that internet access no longer needs to be a luxury for these journeys.
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