ViaSat (VSAT) has commenced operations of a network for high-value military and government aircraft traveling to international locations that is part of its continuous, high-speed broadband aerial connectivity service.
ViaSat’s exclusive private network provides higher grade service, compared to other options, with guaranteed access and data rates. This Ku-band network covers the continental United States, the northern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and parts of eastern Africa, according to a statement.
ViaSat Vice President of Marketing for Global Mobile Broadband Robert Varga said recently at the Association of the United States Army trade show in downtown Washington the company will extend coverage over the northern Pacific Ocean, eastern Asia and Australia “probably in the first and possibly into the second quarter” of 2013 due to the military’s new focus on the region.
ViaSat’s exclusive network is the highest tier available for access to its satellite broadband network. Varga said customers can get private, exclusive, guaranteed bandwidth for certain aircraft at its highest level tier. At lower tiers, customers can get service that is “high and pre-emptible,” Varga said, but not guaranteed. Data rates can vary from tier-to-tier, ranging from a few hundred Kbps to 10 Mbps or higher.
ViaSat said recently in a statement it received a multi-million dollar award from the United States government for broadband satellite services on “en route” military aircraft. ViaSat’s network is designed to enable access to the Unclassified but Sensitive Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPR), Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPR) and commercial internet as well as voice over internet protocol (VOIP) and video teleconferencing sessions.
ViaSat’s network guarantees access and data rates in excess of six megabits per second (Mbps) download and 500 kilobits (Kbps) upload using airborne antennas as small as 30cm, according to a statement. The network is based on ViaSat’s ArcLight 2 mobile satellite system. ViaSat said ArcLight terminals fly daily intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions on hundreds of government aircraft.
ViaSat said military aircraft using ArcLight technology include MC-12s, C-37s, C-130s, and C-17s. Varga said ViaSat has outfitted over 100 C-130s.
ViaSat’s airborne network can also serve ISR missions, helping provide real-time, high definition full-motion video streaming, as well as search and rescue; anti-piracy and command, control and communications (C3) missions.
ViaSat also has an aerial broadband communications network for private businesses called Yonder, which Varga described as a complete, worldwide Ku-band network.