Viasat Helps Bridge the Digital Divide in Mexico with Affordable, Fast Satellite-Enabled ‘Community Wi-Fi’ Service
- Service Already Connecting the Unconnected; Delivering Internet to Hundreds of Thousands of Mexican Citizens
- Service Taps into the Capacity and Coverage of Viasat’s First- and Second-Generation Satellite Systems MEXICO CITY, April 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, announced today it will offer a satellite-enabled Wi-Fi hotspot service—known as ‘Community Wi-Fi'—to nearly all of Mexico. The new service will bring an affordable Wi-Fi experience directly to consumer’s devices, where historically internet service was unavailable or unusable. The service can be deployed with minimal local infrastructure investment, and showcases Viasat’s ability to quickly bring cost-effective internet service to emerging markets where large gaps exist between demand, affordability and availability of internet services.
Successfully bridging the digital divide in Mexico
Since April 2016, Viasat has been conducting ‘Community Wi-Fi’ trials at nearly 500 sites throughout Northern Mexico using its existing satellites and Wi-Fi technologies. Today, these successful deployments cover hundreds of thousands of Mexican citizens, where internet service was unavailable prior. With the increase in ViaSat-2 satellite capacity and coverage, the Company expects it can further bridge the global digital divide—reaching millions of people in unconnected towns across Mexico. For more information on how Viasat is bringing ‘Community Wi-Fi’ service to rural communities in Mexico, watch this video.
Deep, unique Wi-Fi domain expertise
In 2014, Viasat acquired managed Wi-Fi provider, NetNearU, which had successfully managed 14 million hotspots as well as operated a managed hotspot network in nearly 30 countries. With this expertise in-house, Viasat has the ability to affordably extend and manage the value and convenience of satellite communications over Wi-Fi hotspots to a growing number of subscribers, from emerging residential markets to enterprises and commercial aviation.
“By leveraging our ViaSat-2 satellite system’s low-cost capacity and higher speeds coupled with our Wi-Fi service expertise, we can deliver a high-quality internet experience—at affordable end-user prices—to millions of unconnected people living in both developed and emerging markets,” said Kevin Cohen, general manager, Consumer Broadband, Viasat Mexico and Central America. “Our work in Mexico is just the first example of how we can scale and monetize our services and capacity globally—while giving people living in underserved and unserved markets new opportunities to join the digital community.”
Partnerships
Viasat launched its commercial service in Mexico with Grupo Prosperist, a local telecommunications and technology service provider. For more information on becoming a Viasat deployment and fulfillment partner, contact Viasat at: hotspotpartners@viasat.com.
About Viasat
Viasat is a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. For more than 30 years, Viasat has helped shape how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the world communicate. Today, the Company is developing the ultimate global communications network to power high-quality, secure, affordable, fast connections to impact people’s lives anywhere they are—on the ground, in the air or at sea. To learn more about Viasat, visit: www.viasat.com, go to Viasat’s Corporate Blog, or follow the Company on social media at: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or YouTube.
Forward Looking Statement
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. Forward looking statements include statements about the global growth, opportunities, ability to scale its internet offering in Mexico, affordability, coverage, timing and other benefits expected from the ViaSat-1 and ViaSat-2 satellite platforms. 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: 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; Viasat’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the ViaSat-1 and ViaSat-2 satellite platforms, unexpected expenses or delays related to the satellite systems, the ability to successfully implement Viasat’s business plan for broadband satellite services on Viasat’s anticipated timeline or at all, including with respect to the ViaSat-1 and ViaSat-2 satellite platforms; and risks associated with the construction, launch and operation of Viasat’s satellites, including the effect of any anomaly, operational failure or degradation in satellite performance; and increased competition and other factors affecting the communications market 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. Viasat undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.
Copyright © 2018 Viasat, Inc. All rights reserved. All other product or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. Viasat is a registered trademark of Viasat, Inc.
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SOURCE Viasat, Inc.
Chris Phillips, Public Relations, 760-476-2322, chris.phillips@viasat.com; June Harrison, Investor Relations, 760-476-2633, IR@viasat.com
