Viasat is a business rooted in technological leadership and this year was no exception. We made significant strides in increasing the breadth and scale of our connectivity solutions. As we continue to embrace multi-orbit optionality, our customers will now have access to a diverse set of orbits, spectrum, and constellations to provide the best possible connectivity experience.
In August, ViaSat-3 F1 (VS3 F1) entered commercial service for our aviation customers operating over North America, including routes servicing Hawaii. Two months later, VS3 F1 also began delivering service to the U.S. Marine Corps, marking the first use of the VS3 network by a government customer.
Additionally, two GX10 payloads launched to highly elliptical orbit (HEO) this year. Led by the Space Norway subsidiary Heosat, once in service the GX10 payloads will provide the world’s first commercial broadband service over the Arctic for our government customers, and in the future for commercial mobility customers. A few months after the launch, we successfully completed in-orbit testing, bringing us one step closer to offering high-speed connectivity to the Arctic.
We are also continuing to address new market opportunities such as direct-to-device (D2D). This year we successfully demonstrated D2D satellite services in India, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. For the first time, we showcased two-way messaging and SOS functionality over an Android phone. In addition, we continued to develop our technical capabilities and partner ecosystem.
We have experience imagining the undiscovered and leaning in to innovate ahead of evolving or disrupted markets. By further collaborating with other spectrum rights holders and expanding ecosystems as means to increase value for customers, shareholders, and partners alike, we expect this momentum to continue well into the future.
Aviation
Our aviation partners are looking to enhance their passenger experience by offering reliable in-flight Wi-Fi. It’s no longer ‘a nice to have’ but increasingly becoming a necessity. Today, our Wi-Fi technology is one of the most frequent flyers on 60+ airlines with the capacity to connect 50 million passengers a day, and those numbers continue to grow.
To meet rising demand, our worldwide aviation partners entrust us with offering their passengers reliable connectivity. This year, we grew our customer base by providing Wi-Fi and new technology on more aircraft with more airlines, including;
- Lufthansa selected Viasat to equip more than 150 additional aircraft – across its Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian Airlines fleets – with the European Aviation Network (EAN) in-flight connectivity (IFC) solution.
- easyJet took to the skies as the first airline partner of the ground-breaking Iris program, an initiative led by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Viasat, which is using the latest generation of satellite technology to help modernize air traffic management (ATM).
- Royal Jordanian chose Viasat’s in-flight connectivity (IFC) solution and will equip more than 40 total aircraft with our connectivity solution.
- Korean Air picked Viasat to power in-flight connectivity onboard 40 additional aircraft. This will bring the total number of Korean Air aircraft to be equipped with Viasat’s connectivity solution to 70.
- Icelandair selected Viasat’s inflight Wi-Fi solution for the airline’s new fleet of Airbus aircraft. Icelandair’s new fleet is expected to service routes between Iceland and Europe as well as transatlantic flights.
- LOT Polish Airlines will upgrade 15 aircraft across their wide-body Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliner fleets with Viasat’s trusted Ka-band, global in-flight connectivity solution.
- Azul will equip seven aircraft in their new Airbus A330-900neo fleet with Viasat’s trusted Ka-band in-flight connectivity solution.
Government
Resilient communication solutions are central to future government mobility operations, which is why we are committed to help solve these challenges with multi-band, multi-orbit, multi-constellation interoperability solutions. We deliver a truly interoperable platform built on our deep expertise in satcom, cybersecurity, multi-domain integration, software-defined solutions, proven hardware and a deep understanding of government needs.
As a trusted connectivity solution partner to government users in all domains around the world, we are always innovating to bring into service new solutions that meet our customers’ needs. This year, we have introduced and tested out new innovations for land, air, sea and space, including:
- Air-IQ, a new connectivity solution designed to deliver faster, smarter intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) communications globally.
- InRange, our space-based launch vehicle telemetry relay system which completed a valuable ground test in collaboration with Skyrora Ltd and CGI.
- Our UK Satellite Based Augmentation System (UK SBAS) was successfully trialed for first time as part of an ongoing trial funded by the UK Government through the European Space Agency (ESA)’s NAVISP program.
- Secure Wireless Hub, a next-generation body-worn tactical communication system for dismounted operations developed as part of a multi-phase effort with the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
We have also been awarded multiple contracts:
- A four-year contract from Northrop Grumman to support U.S. Air Force’s commercial space internet experiments, known by its nickname, ‘Global Lightning.’
- A five-year contract from the Defence Information Services Agency to provide network services and support the U.S. Army Project Manager Mission Command (PM MC) Blue Force Tracker (BFT).
- An U.S. Air Force DEUCSI contract for phased array antenna technology development.
Maritime
Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat company, launched NexusWave, a game-changing high-speed connectivity solution set to transform the maritime industry.
This fully managed connectivity service is underpinned by a ‘bonded’ multi-dimensional network, which seamlessly integrates Global Xpress Ka-band, LEO services, as-available coastal LTE service – with an added layer of L-band for resilience. NexusWave delivers high-speed connectivity, unlimited data, global coverage, and ‘secure by design’ infrastructure. The future-proof NexusWave is designed to integrate the next-generation ultra-high capacity high-speed ViaSat-3 Ka-band service. Unique among maritime communications options, the NexusWave solution enables an ‘office-like’ and ‘home-like’ experience that’s always connected.
Following its launch, NexusWave has rapidly attracted new customers, including trials with the major container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE), a Japanese transportation company with a diverse fleet of ships. NexusWave will enable both companies to further their operations through cloud-based solutions, helping to enhance crew IT services and welfare to match onshore experiences.
Enterprise
We are continuing to bring the power of satellite-enabled IoT to a variety of industrial challenges with a breadth of solutions across a variety of sectors, including agriculture, energy, mining, transport and utilities. This is enabled by ELEVATE, a development program, ecosystem and marketplace created for ambitious partners who want to use our global network and footprint to scale. Over 150 partners joined us for our annual ELEVATE event at our corporate headquarters in Carlsbad, and we have welcomed almost 20 new partners on to the program this year.
Energy
This year we introduced an enhanced hybrid network service for the energy industry. The new solution has been expanded to seamlessly incorporate low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite capacity. It will also leverage Viasat Energy Services’ existing multi-orbit and terrestrial capacity designed to deliver highly flexible capabilities through a single, integrated, and fully managed service. The solution was purpose-built for remote oil and gas customers and will significantly expand the capacity and capabilities of our advanced enterprise-grade connectivity service.