ViaSat Awarded Infrastructure and Network Services Contract by Barrett Xplore Inc. for Satellite Broadband in Canada
CARLSBAD, Calif., Jan 07, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ -- ViaSat (Nasdaq: VSAT) has received a $21 million contract from Barrett Xplore Inc., Canada’s largest rural Broadband provider, for broadband gateway baseband infrastructure and satellite broadband terminals to be used with the high-capacity ViaSat-1 Ka-band satellite system. Under the contract, ViaSat will deliver and install satellite broadband equipment for four ViaSat-1 gateways in Canada, deliver an initial order of SurfBeam(R) 2 subscriber terminals, and provide network services and technical support from the WildBlue operations center. The network system is designed to connect subscribers to the next generation satellite, which is expected to be available in mid-2011.
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“This agreement with ViaSat, together with our recent announcement with Loral to acquire capacity on the ViaSat-1 high-throughput satellite is integral to our strategy to expand Barrett Xplore to reach rural Canadians,” said John Maduri CEO at BXI. “The ViaSat-1 launch date in early 2011 enables us to offer advanced services very early in this decade and well into the next, reinforcing our commitment to provide an affordable, reliable, and high-quality broadband service to all rural Canadians.”
Barrett Xplore offers Xplornet Ka-band satellite broadband access to its customers using the Telesat Anik F2 and F3 satellites and the ViaSat SurfBeam networking system. To meet the expanding needs of Canadians using content-rich applications, Barrett Xplore recently initiated its move to the next generation system, including contracting with Space Systems/Loral for ViaSat-1 capacity that targets Canada. The total Canadian capacity available is designed to be approximately 15 Gbps, which is more than all existing Canadian Ka-band satellite capacity.
“With the addition of Barrett Xplore to our list of SurfBeam 2 customers we’ve extended our reach in North America,” said Mark Dankberg, chairman and CEO of ViaSat. “Along with our other partners in Europe and the Middle East, we’re gathering momentum as we approach the launch of our transformational broadband service and are on schedule to begin delivering that new level of service next year.”
ViaSat is developing the next-generation ViaSat SurfBeam 2 Ka-band network to support broadband Ka-band satellites such as ViaSat-1 in North America, KA-SAT in Europe and YahSat 1B in the Middle East. These new space systems will deliver more speed and higher volumes of bandwidth at far lower costs than any existing broadband satellite network. The SurfBeam 2 system complements the satellite capabilities and is designed to deliver much higher speeds (both upstream and downstream) to the subscriber, significantly better support for bandwidth-intensive Internet media, and faster web browsing.
The ViaSat-1 satellite is designed to be the first satellite to enable media-rich interactive broadband services, with the capacity to serve the accelerating growth in bandwidth demand for media-rich Internet access over the next decade. Designed to carry a total capacity in excess of 140 Gbps, ViaSat-1 is expected to be (at launch) the highest capacity satellite in the world.
About Barrett Xplore Inc.
Headquartered in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Barrett Xplore Inc. operates Xplornet Internet Services, Canada’s largest rural broadband provider, with customers and dealers in every province and territory. Barrett Xplore aims to bridge the urban/rural digital divide by ensuring that every Canadian, regardless of where they live, has access to broadband, thereby enabling them to compete effectively in the global economy and gain access to essential government and educational services. For additional information, please visit www.xplornet.com.
About ViaSat (www.viasat.com)
ViaSat produces innovative satellite and other digital communication products that enable fast, secure, and efficient communications to virtually any location. The company provides networking products and managed network services for enterprise IP applications; is a key supplier of network-centric military communications and encryption technologies and products to the U.S. government; is the primary technology partner for gateway and customer-premises equipment for consumer and mobile satellite broadband services; and owns WildBlue, the premier Ka-band satellite broadband service provider. ViaSat also offers design capabilities and a number of complementary products including monolithic microwave integrated circuits and modules, DVB-S2 satellite communication components, video data link systems, data acceleration and compression, and mobile satellite antenna systems. ViaSat is based in Carlsbad, CA, has major locations in Duluth, GA, Germantown, MD (Comsat Laboratories), and Greenwood Village, CO (WildBlue), along with additional field offices and service centers worldwide.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including statements that refer to the launch of ViaSat-1, the availability of ViaSat-1 services and the delivery, installation, and performance of broadband equipment and SurfBeam 2 products. Readers are cautioned that actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include: the ability to have manufactured or successfully launch ViaSat-1, or implement the related satellite service; the ability to realize anticipated increases in capacity, user speeds, and quality; continued turmoil in global financial markets and economies; the availability and cost of credit; the ability to successfully develop, introduce, and sell new products and enhancements; and other factors affecting the communications industry generally. In addition, please refer to the risk factors contained in ViaSat’s SEC filings available at www.sec.gov, including ViaSat’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. The companies undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.
SurfBeam is a registered trademark of ViaSat.
Comsat Labs and Comsat Laboratories are tradenames of ViaSat, Inc. Neither Comsat Labs nor Comsat Laboratories is affiliated with COMSAT Corporation. “Comsat” is a registered trademark of COMSAT Corporation. All additional products are trademarks of their respective owners.
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